Unconditional
by Wintreaux
Summary: Penny does Amy and Sheldon a life-altering favour, and unexpected (or expected) issues arise. - Sheldon/Penny - Sheldon/Amy in the beginning - Slight OOC -
1. I

**I.**

She had to cough multiple times in order to clear her airway.

_Was this a joke?_ Did Sheldon and Amy all of a sudden become mastermind pranksters, and decide to use her as their first subject? It was the only logical explanation, really. Cause there was absolutely no way she was hearing what she heard. She had to look around multiple times, in her own apartment, for hidden cameras. She learned when it came to dealing with super smart scientists, like she does on a regular daily basis, anything is possible. And with the way they both stood there, twin Cheshire smiles on their faces, she had to believe her gut. _There was absolutely no way._

"Oh man, I think we've broken her, Sheldon. Perhaps this wasn't a good idea after all, shall we look for a new candidate?"

The taller man in question only shook his head, "No," he eyed his neighbor curiously as she moved about her living room, her hand running over ever crevice and cranny she could find, "I think she's simply in shock. I think this is what you call a state of distress, it is understandable. What we are asking of her is rather life changing, she'd be responsible for one of the greatest minds on this planet alone. Let's give her a moment," he stated simply, fingers locked behind his back patiently.

Amy looked up at her boyfriend unsure but didn't voice her doubts. She had learned Sheldon was a jigsaw puzzle that you put together leisurely, and slowly. If you did it all at once, you were sure to get stressed out and strained. It took them both some time to come up with a suitable candidate. She suggested her cousin, Mabel, but Sheldon had immediately shot that idea down telling Amy just how foolish that idea had been. Mabel was prone to Ovarian cysts, and that would surely cause some complications with the task at hand. It was he who decided the perfect candidate was none other than his neighbor, and best friend, Penny. So, with much consideration and a hefty pros and cons list, they both agreed and made their way to her apartment.

Now they wait.

"Penny, please, I can assure you we are not joking around," he gestured to the sofa once the confused blonde looked at him, she sat, to his pleasure.

Amy and he stood before her, serious looks on their face as they propositioned her. It was then Penny realized they were indeed not joking around, they were serious, _Sheldon _was serious. Although she already had her answer ready, she felt like this was important enough to hear them out. Clearly there was a reason they came to her, and as both of their best friend's she felt like she owed it to them to listen.

"Unfortunately, it has come to my attention that I have POF, also known as Premature Ovarian Failure. What it means is my ovaries no longer produce eggs, and it lowers my estrogen levels incredibly. Which, in short, it means I'm infertile." Amy was curt, and straight to the point. It hurt her heart hearing that about her friend, she had no idea. In retrospect, there was no way for her to actually know, nonetheless it was devastating to hear one of your closest friends would never be able to produce children.

She opened her mouth to speak, but it was Sheldon who silenced her.

"We are very much aware that what we are asking you is life changing and can put an incredible amount of pressure on you. But we have a proposition," he stated while he retrieved papers from a manila folder he brought in, "Within these papers is a contract, we don't expect you to sign right away, of course take as much time as you need."

He stepped back, and by Amy's side again, "But the most important parts, the parts that benefit you, highlight that if you were to go through with this. If the implantation was successful, and it's confirmed you are pregnant we will pay you sixty thousand dollars," he informs her. Penny cannot lie, the numbers made her eyes widen, and she nearly started choking again.

_Sixty thousand?_ For carrying a baby for nine months. She nearly agreed right there and then.

"Of course, there are conditions. Like, if this were to happen you wouldn't be able to drink throughout, obviously, and you'd have to spend most of your time in my apartment so I can keep an eye on you and the child's well-being. Most of it is dietary plans and schedules that we would go through if you were to accept." He said dismissively.

She was surprised when she found herself actually weighing the pros and cons of this, she did spend most of her time in 4A anyways. Only this time she was getting paid for it.

"But what if there's more than one kid."

Amy nods her head; they were aware of the chances of twins or more. They discussed this beforehand, thankfully, "If by chance you happen to conceive more than one child there will be an additional ten thousand added, per child."

She was speechless.

"We'd have to go through your medical records, and your family history. Though, of the six years we lived across the hall from each other you have not gone to the hospital for an emergency once, aside from the issue in the bathroom, so I'm fairly certain that will be a nonfactor," he explains.

Penny looks between the two of them, and she feels oddly honoured that they had come to her for this. They could've gone to anyone, much less a random stranger that a clinic suggested to them. Yet, here they stood in her living room, offering her to become the surrogate to their test-tube baby. Honoured, yes. But the money is what made the whole situation promising. She had been behind on rent again, not surprisingly. This money would help her with that, and her car. She sighed deeply and looked at the contract in her hands.

"And how would this happen? How would I be inseminated?"

She swears Sheldon wears a proud face when she uses the correct term, but she ignores it, she's too busy hearing the little noise the shopping cart makes when you complete your online purchases. Amy speaks though, "We'd go to the clinic, we already picked one out. It's completely safe and painless, and it's over really quickly. Sheldon will collect a sample of his ejaculation," Penny grimaces, "And the doctors will use a medical tool to inseminate you, painlessly."

She nods her head and flips through the contract absentmindedly.

She's heard enough, and she's pretty sure she has her answer. She pauses momentarily when she sees a clause in the contract that highlights, once she's given birth she relinquishes all rights to the child and Amy is to automatically adopt it and become it's mother. It kind of saddens her, because what if the kid comes out looking like her. It would be half her genes anyways.

But she shakes the thought out of her head and looks up at the couple in front of her. Sheldon's face indifferent as he studies her own expression, and Amy's face hopeful. She couldn't help but wonder who's idea this really was. She never thought Sheldon would be the type to want to start a family, especially now, he didn't have his Nobel yet. She refuses to ask those types of questions though, so she just nods.

"I have only two conditions," she states simply as she rolls up the contract. Amy nods, "Anything!" Sheldon gives her a glare at that.

"One, don't name the child something stupid like Spock or Sheldon Jr.," she says that pointedly at Sheldon, and he rolls his eyes and nods anyways. He wasn't even thinking to name it that…he liked _Flash_. "And your second condition?"

She throws the contract onto the coffee table, "No contract."

She sees Sheldon about to protest, and Amy looks rather uncomfortable, but she holds up a hand to silence both of them before they could speak. "I trust you," she says and she's looking at Sheldon, but then looks at both of them, "Both of you. I'm obviously going to do what's best your child, I know I won't be able to drink, I know I won't be able to party anymore. I'm okay with that, I don't need a contract to tell me to be a decent human being," she explains, partly offended, only because she knew Sheldon's world included contracts.

"I trust you guys to pay me, and I hope you trust me enough to keep your best interest at heart. If you do have any concerns, you can always talk to me," she explains gently. She knows both of them aren't well-versed in social conventions, so she takes her time.

Amy frowns, she knew Sheldon wouldn't go for this. His whole world revolved around order and the best way to establish that was contracts, so she goes to tell Penny this. _Sheldon didn't even budge when I begged him to not make me sign a Relationship Agreement, now you're speaking about his child, Penny—_

"That's acceptable."

She's shocked when she hears her boyfriend speak, both of them are shocked when they hear Sheldon speak. He just looks between the both of them and nods his head as he picks up the forgotten contract on the table, "I will keep it around for reference, but I don't expect you to sign this. You're right," he states with a slight twitch to his jaw, "I trust you to do what's right, or else I wouldn't be standing before you now."

Penny smiles but agrees.

"So, it's settled. Tomorrow afternoon we'll head to the doctors and get your medically examined, if all is well, we'll go through with this at the end of the week. So, according to schedule in two weeks we'll know if you're pregnant with my offspring or not."

With that, the odd couple exit her apartment, and she can finally be alone with her thoughts.

She knows what she just agreed to, and she knows how heavy of a situation it is. But right now, nothing in her life had been going right, and if she could bring happiness to her closest friends than why would she deny that? She wouldn't be taking care of the kid, she'd only be carrying it because her friend couldn't, and she felt so bad for Amy because of it. Then there's the fact the money would be a nice bonus, sixty thousand wasn't a joke. No, it wasn't much, especially when it came to Los Angeles, but it would help her greatly. She'd be able to pay her rent consecutively, fix her car, buy out of her debt, and possibly go shopping (she'd been eyeing a pair of Louis Vuitton's for some time now).

The thing that got to her the most, more than Amy's medical issue and the money, was the fact that child wouldn't _really_ be Sheldon and Amy's. It would be Sheldon's and _hers_. There was a chance the child could come out looking _exactly_ like her, and if that was the case _what then?_

* * *

She asked Amy and Sheldon to be quiet about this situation they found themselves in. It wasn't the best position she's been in and she didn't want her smart fulfilled friends casting judgey eyes her way. Sheldon had no issue keeping the situation mum, so as long as no one asked him any questions he didn't have to lie. Amy on the other hand was bouncing with excitement every time she came around; she could barely contain her happiness and they hadn't even known if she was indeed pregnant yet. It got to the point Amy kept asking her weird questions about cervical mucus and tenderness of her breast, all she had to do was give her a look and she knew to back off. She was thankful Sheldon hadn't pestered her like that, yet. She figured the worst of him was to come if she did get pregnant.

They went to the doctors office like promised the next day, and results came in the next two days, she was completely healthy and in good shape. She knew this, but it was great to hear the reassurance. She could only smirk broader when the odd couple smiled at each other and nodded, "I'm pleased with your results, Penny, not that I doubted it," he stated simply and she felt her own sense of pride.

By the end of the week, she found herself in a paper gown and laying on a cold metal surface, bright lights overhead as she lay legs open in front of one doctor and a nurse. They went over the standard procedure with her, telling her the pros and cons and asking her for the tenth time if this was what she wanted. She only signed _their_ contract or waiver, honestly she couldn't tell the difference, and then proceeded to let everything they said drift in one ear and out the other. She knew Sheldon wouldn't put her in harm's way, and if he trusted this medical office, than she knew she could too. She closed her eyes once she heard them start up a machine and warn her they were going in.

It was over before she knew it, and immediately she was being questioned by Amy on the drive home. Sheldon was silent.

Fast-forward two and a half weeks, Penny had yet to take a pregnancy test, a part of her was nervous to know the results. Did she _want_ to know the results? It got to the point she was avoiding Sheldon at all times, she knew if he found her he'd corner her into taking a test, she knew he had bought some when they agreed she was going to do this.

She was dragged out of her thoughts when she heard her apartment door opening.

"Penny, I know you're in here," she heard his voice and she closed her eyes. Maybe if she couldn't see him, he couldn't see her?

She frowned deeply when he walked into her bedroom and threw a plastic bag down beside her, "I don't know what you're doing but you have a test to take," he explained to her gently, he sounded as if he had all the patience in the world but she knew just by the slight colour change of his eyes that he was just as nervous.

"Where's Amy?"

"She's at work, we'll inform her of the success or failure after we find out," he said, and she hated that he sounded professional. She was about to take a pregnancy test to determine if she was carrying his, theirs, _his and Amy's_ child. It was all so confusing. She sighed deeply and picked up the bag he threw at her, in it was three tests. She supposed it was now or never, she didn't feel any different so she wasn't even sure if she was pregnant. She wasn't nauseous or feeling tender anywhere, so she wasn't expecting much, but it was still scary.

Before she went into the bathroom, she looked at Sheldon who sat at the edge of her bed, facing the bathroom door. Perfect view of when she opened the door to show him the results. "I just want to say, I'm sorry if I failed. I—" she struggled to find the words, she felt like she had to apologize to him but she didn't know why. She knew it wasn't her fault if it didn't work, but she still felt responsible.

He waved her off simply, "You're too stubborn to fail."

She didn't stop to correct him about her acting, and her life in general. She'd take the backhanded compliment, "Still, I just want to say I know you and Amy are looking forwards to this and I don't want to let you down…I tried, I guess…" she shook her head, embarrassed and closed the door behind her before he could reply.

She took the test with shaky hands.

She sat beside him her bed, both of them not speaking as the tests lay on the dresser beside them. Her phone being utilized as a timer, _three minutes_. One in a half minutes to go.

She couldn't help but chuckle, she felt the stare on the side of her face when Sheldon looked at her, confused as to what she found funny, she ignored it. She just felt like she was a teenager again, sitting in the bathroom stall at school with a pregnancy test on her lap as she hunched over with her eyes closed, praying to God _please don't make me pregnant, please don't make me pregnant. I promise I'll never have sex again. _Ricky Wilson on the phone as they both wait with bated breath for the timer to go off and see what their futures held. Both sixteen and aware each of their older siblings had fallen into the same situation, except they weren't lucky enough to get a negative result. After the treacherous three minutes passed, she'd look into her lap and see the negative result. She'd thank the heavens and then have celebratory sex with Ricky. _Sorry God_.

Her phone goes off, three minutes over.

They look at each other, and it's Sheldon that goes towards the dresser first. She's surprised that he's braver than her and he carefully examines all three tests, he's silent for a while and she can only wonder what's going through his large mind because she had never seen him so quiet before (for an extended period of time). He surprises her when he turns around, his face indifferent as he speaks, he gestures towards the instructions that lay beside her on the bed, "What's two lines mean?"

_She's pregnant._


	2. II

**II.**

"I won't make you move in with me, but I do require you to tell me your whereabouts whenever you leave," Sheldon attempted to compromise with his stubborn blonde neighbor, and recently turned surrogate. He sighed deeply as he saw the persistently defiant look on her face, the bridge of her nose was wrinkled because she was frowning, and her nose was scrunching up in that _way_ it usually did when she was unhappy with something. He often sees the look directed at him, so he's become accustomed to it over the years.

She folds her arms, "Sheldon, I'm pregnant not the _Queen of England_ or something," she tries to tell him, but he isn't moving. She had to stop and think to herself when Sheldon became so solid, because last she remembered was a few months ago she was rubbing Vicks Vapor Rub on his soft childlike chest. Now he posed an actual challenge.

"You were aware of my rules before you agreed to this, Penny," he levels her with a gaze of his own, "Unless you would like to move in with me instead?"

She could see the glint of amusement in his eyes, and she wanted nothing more than to shove him. This Whackadoodle was enjoying this argument they were having; he was purposely pushing her buttons and she was so confused. She had to look away from him suddenly, her mind was venturing places she didn't know they could when it came to Sheldon. Was their arguing some sort of foreplay that they both subconsciously knew about but refused to acknowledge? She felt dirty all of a sudden. She didn't know if it was because she was pregnant with a child from a man she didn't feel romantically for, or if it was because she could hear that man's girlfriend walking up the stairs towards them.

She, Amy, and Sheldon had just come back from her first ultrasound. It was weird and so unconventional. Obviously, she had to be in the room because the thing was in her, but Amy and Sheldon also insisted they be in there as well. The room was cramped, and the doctor tried to be as professional as possible, but she couldn't blame her when she flinched and rolled her eyes every time Sheldon shot a question at her. She almost regretted saying yes to the odd couple, but once they handed her the money on their way back from the ultrasound, only _now_ positive she was indeed pregnant, she felt much better about the situation.

According to the doctor she was actually six weeks pregnant, today (something about from the first day of her menstrual cycle). She wasn't showing, nor did she have any symptoms and the doctor told her she was one of the lucky ones. Usually first-time mothers got it the worse and spent most of their time hovering over the toilet bowl. She was thankful she wasn't one of the unlucky ones, she already had so much to deal with when it came to Amy and Sheldon, she didn't think she could handle them begging for samples of her vomit or asking what consistency it was.

When they arrived back at Robles, she told them she was going out with Bernadette tonight, the shorter blonde had been in dire need of a girl's night and had asked Penny to join her, before she couldn't because her stomach would be too wide to fit through a doorway. Sheldon had insisted on attending with her or her giving him the exact information he needed to settle his mind. She had to force herself not to shove him backwards, down the stairs. She wasn't about to be babysat by this six-foot three-inch giant. Thankfully, Amy had ascended the staircase and she was smiling.

"I wonder what it's going to be, perhaps a girl?"

Sheldon scowled instantly, "Absolutely not, my first born will be male. It only makes sense," he told her simply.

The blonde narrowed her eyes between the two and shook her head, "You know there is no way you can choose what gender your child comes out. I hope you," she pointedly looks at Sheldon, "Love him or _her_ unconditionally." Sheldon sighed deeply and waved her off, "Of course I will, I'm just stating I kept my nether regions at optimal temperature twenty-four hours prior to ejaculation. According to my many searches on Google that is the best way to ensure you have a male."

She exaggerated her gag before finally pushing past a distracted Sheldon, and towards her apartment door.

They follow her into her apartment, and she really just wished they'd go away because she doesn't want any company and she just wanted to get ready for her night. Sheldon fidgets but finally settles into his chair, and Amy follows her into the kitchen as she rummages through the cupboards, doing anything was better than focusing on the scientists who invaded her home. She's acutely aware of Amy's stare and sighs deeply, "Yes, Amy?"

"I was just thinking, since you want to go out tonight and Sheldon is being particularly difficult, why don't I accompany you and Bernadette? That way I'll be there, but I won't be as overbearing as Sheldon," she doubted it, "And we could still have a good time."

Honestly, it didn't sound tempting, but she does want to go out and Bernadette would be a great buffer for whatever strangeness Amy felt like expressing. So, she agrees.

She's glad when Sheldon and Amy leave, because she could feel her lunch coming back up and she only wonders why they call it morning sickness when it's five in the evening and she hasn't eaten anything in a few hours. She runs to the bathroom with a glare on her face and empties her stomach into the ceramic bowl. She won't tell Sheldon this happened though, it'll only make him more irritable.

* * *

It's nine o'clock, and the girls are arriving at the bar they decided to go to.

Bernadette had been so grateful to get out of the house. Howard had been getting on her last nerve lately, and his mother hadn't been helping. They had been married for almost two years, and now all he wanted to do was shoot her up with a baby and she just wasn't ready. She used to dislike children, but she babysat for her cousin one weekend, and she found it wasn't children she disliked it was their parents who didn't discipline them accordingly. Yes, she wanted children, eventually. Right now, she was getting so far in her career, she just wanted to focus on that. Howard said he understood, so _she didn't understand_ how his mother found out and started hounding her about grandchildren. She just needed to escape the house for the night.

Amy on the other hand was feeling a bit apprehensive. She knew she told Penny it would be she and Bernadette with her tonight, but before they left Sheldon had cornered her and coaxed her into telling him where they were going. He wasn't playing fair; he had hovered over her and loomed the possibility of a _kiss_ in her face as an award for complying. She crumbled like a house built of sticks. So, for all she knew Leonard, Howard, Raj, and Sheldon were on their way here. She didn't want to face Penny when that happened. The only plus side to this was she did in fact get her kiss, it was five seconds and stiff, but _damn_ did it set her body on fire. She couldn't wait till their kid arrived; it would bring them so much closer.

"Three daiquiris' please," Bernadette's voice called out.

Penny frowned deeply and shook her head, "Make that two," she corrected. Bernadette looked at Penny in shock, "You're not drinking tonight?" The taller blonde shook her head slowly, disappointed in the fact as well, "Oh come on, Penny! I was so counting on fun Penny tonight; I need to let loose."

So, did she.

"Sorry, Bernie, not tonight," she said simply, "I have an audition tomorrow, I'd like to remember my lines," she lied through her teeth. Bernadette seemed sedated at this and took the alcoholic beverages from the bartender and handed one to Amy who clinked their glasses together.

"So, what's new ladies? I need to know _something_; I'm going crazy with Howie."

Amy smiled widely, "Well, Sheldon and I kissed tonight. It was very romantic; I'd like to think. My whole body felt like it was on fire," she looked dazed as she remembered the stiff kiss, "I feel like our relationship will get a lot better within these next few months." She hoped.

Bernadette smiled at her friend, "Well, I'm glad. It's about time Sheldon starts putting the moves on you, you guys have been dating for almost two years now. A girl could only wait so long, you know?" She patted Amy's arm affectionately. Amy just nodded in agreement, "Yes, and I believe Sheldon is starting to become aware of that. He realizes what a prize he has, and I know the last thing he wants to do is lose me. He's becoming a lot more open with me, just the other day we had banal chit-chat, things are looking up ladies."

Penny grimaced, was that what a relationship was now? She felt so bad for Amy, she deserved a man who could meet her needs and Penny knew Amy had _a lot _of those. But then she stopped, and she thought about Sheldon. Sheldon had been her best friend for so much longer than Amy, Amy had only come into their lives a year and a half ago. She had known Sheldon for six. When it came down to it, if she had to choose between Amy and Sheldon, she'd always stand in Sheldon's corner.

"What about you, Bestie?"

She shook her head slightly, "Not much, just working and balancing auditions and stealing food from Sheldon and Leonard. I lead a pretty boring life," she said nonchalantly, avoiding Amy's eyes. It was like the girl was gaining Sheldon's inability to lie because Amy just wouldn't _stop_ smiling at her.

"No men?"

She kind of took offense to that, because what was_ that_ supposed to mean? No men? She didn't always jump into relationships. So, she just shook her head.

"Well, I think that's about to change because I see a guy approaching right now," Bernadette giggled.

Penny narrowed her eyes as she discreetly looked behind her, there was a guy with black hair slowly coming towards her. He was tall, but not too tall, he had brown eyes and a dazzling smile. She tilted her head and analyzed his body; it was buff as if he worked out daily. Tattoos littered his arms. Usually, she would've jumped at him but the thought of getting with him right now was rather off-putting. She mentally cursed her geeky boys for ruining her taste in men. Now she usually went for slimmer outcast guys, and she realized it was a real ego boaster because they never expect her to go for them so when she does, they just shower her in compliments.

Kind of like Leonard, she shuddered at the thought of her ex. She'd never go down that road again.

"Hello, ladies," he stood in front of Penny but addressed Bernadette and Amy as well.

Both of her friends grinned and nodded at the handsome stranger, "Hello," Amy smiled.

_Oh God, she looks like she's in heat_.

"I was wondering if I could steal your friend for a dance?"

Bernadette waved him off, "Yes, go! Go! Have fun but bring her back in one piece."

He grinned and looked at Penny, "Care to dance?"

She sighed and put her coke down, taking his hand she hopped off the barstool. She let the man lead her towards the dance floor, and without as a smile they started to move to the music. She had to admit that dancing with him was kind of fun, and it let her mind stop spinning from the life changing secret she was keeping from all of her friends. She just wanted the one night to relax before everything came crashing down around her. No, she wasn't really going to be a mother, but she was pregnant with another man's baby. Her _best friend's_ baby, _Sheldon's_ baby. That was heavy shit.

She couldn't help but feel slightly dirty at the thought. She was dancing with another man while Sheldon and her, _Amy's_, child grew inside of her. The thought made her sick, and she had to force herself not to vomit at that moment. She felt the stranger's hands wander down her body as the stood chest to chest with him. She frowned slightly and moved his hands above her waist. His grin only widened, as if he felt like this was some kind of game and she was playing hard to get. He forcefully spun her around, her rear against his pelvis and he held her in place as he grinded onto her.

Usually, moves like that would've had her swooning and ready to bring him home. But now it only made her want to step on his toes, how dare he?

Sheldon walked ahead of Leonard, Howard, and Raj as they entered the bar. The air was musty and thick, and he was positive there were millions of pathogens on that bar surface alone. He frowned deeply as people pushed past him and looked at his friends, they were curious as to why he even wanted to come today. It was Thursday, but not even Anything-Could-Happen Thursday, but they followed him anyways. A bar? Count them in. It was Raj who spotted the girls first, "Look, there's Amy and Bernie," he pointed to the two women by the bar.

"Where's Penny?" Leonard asked as he craned his head, struggling to see, as he tried to spot his ex-girlfriend. Though, he wasn't the only one curious about the whereabouts of their neighbor, Sheldon had already taken survey of the bar and noticed he couldn't see her either. He quickly deduced she had to be in the restroom.

The men made their way to the bar and approached their female counterparts.

"Sheldon, what a surprise seeing you here!" Amy faked.

Sheldon glanced at her and then at Bernadette, "Where's Penny?"

The brunette's smile faltered at the question; she expected her boyfriend to greet her before demanding answers to questions he had no business asking. He knew they came out tonight to have fun, so they weren't going to babysit Penny. She sighed deeply and looked back into her drink; she couldn't wait for this child to come. That way they'd be brought closer together as a family, and then Penny could get out of the picture and go back to her daily lifestyle. Ever since they found out Penny was pregnant Sheldon hadn't thought of anything else besides _Penny_. And she knew it was because her friend was carrying their child, but still she couldn't help but feel slightly jealous of the attention she was getting.

Before they propositioned her, she was already jealous of the connection they had. They always had the type of relationship where they could run to each other and confide in each other about things she nor Leonard could handle. She told Leonard how she felt once, and he told her not to worry about it. They known each other for a long time, longer than her, and they had a brother sister relationship. Nothing to worry about, but now she wasn't sure. She didn't think Penny would ever betray her, but damn her insecurities were loud.

"She went dancing with a handsome stranger," Bernadette giggled into her drink, already tipsy.

Sheldon eyed Bernadette and then brought his intense gaze over to Amy, "I thought you were going to watch out for her? Is this what you call watching?" She could easily hear the judging tone in his voice, and before she could even reply he was off and disappearing into the crowd. The guys stood there confused, "What's his problem? What's going on?"

Amy was feeling down, and she hated it. She hated feeling second. Even in her own damn relationship.

She finished her drink, and then looked to her friends. She knew she was going to regret it; she shouldn't be feeling this way about the situation going on, but she couldn't help it. She looked away when she spoke, "She's pregnant." She didn't need to look at them to know their reactions.

There was a moment of silence, the only thing that could be heard was the music filling the club, "What?" It was Leonard who exclaimed loudly, "She's pregnant? Does she know who the father is at least?" It made Amy feel slightly better hearing that, she knew it was bad of her, but damn Penny had everything she wanted. She was glad Leonard, her own ex-boyfriend indirectly called Penny promiscuous. Amy refused to say anything more, Sheldon was going to have her ear when he found out she spilled the beans, but she'll just blame it on the alcohol.

Sheldon weaved through the crowd, angry at Amy for letting this happen, angry at Penny for going off with a random man who could hurt her or the child she was carrying (his child), and angry at himself for thinking Amy or Penny would be responsible enough to stay out of trouble for a few hours. He should've known better when he was informed, they were going to a bar. Alcohol and Penny were never a good combination, but then again, she couldn't have been drinking. He sighed deeply.

He finally spotted her, a short black dress that clung to her body. He figured she'd wear something like this, she was probably going all out before her stomach started to swell and she couldn't wear things like this anymore. He watched as the man forcefully held her against him and she struggled to push him away, his hands wondering lower than acceptable.

Sheldon was never a confrontational person, but the way it made him feel—seeing his neighbor, his friend, being groped and manhandled the way she was, it made his skin crawl and his blood boil. How could any man treat a woman that way? He was grinning like it was a game, and she was noticeably pushing him away. Sheldon didn't wait, she walked up to them and cleared his throat.

"Please remove your grimy hands from my friend," he said in a clear voice.

He could sense the relief that washed over Penny and was glad he did the right thing. The shorter, but much more muscular, man looked him up and down and smirked, "Or what?"

Sheldon sighed deeply and pulled out his cellphone as he spoke and tapped a few buttons, "I am Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper, B.S., M.S., M.A., Ph.D., Sc.D.," he looks up at the confused man momentarily, "If you don't know what those fancy letters mean, it means I have five more doctorates than you do," he goes back to typing, "I work with very special people, and I have various ways of knowing where you work and what you do, Brandon is the name, isn't it?" He smirks as the man's face falters.

"I work with the Government on special projects, and I don't expect you to understand the degree of how _serious_ that is, but I do expect you to understand that I can find you and I can ruin your life with a click of a button," he states his finger noticeably hovering over his iPhone screen. "So, I ask you again, please remove your grimy hands from my friend," this time his voice is rough and gravelly and the man, Brandon, doesn't hesitate when he lets Penny go and quickly runs from the scene.

Sheldon sighed of relief; he was hoping it went that way. He was wishing it didn't turn confrontational.

Penny stood there looking up at Sheldon in disbelief. She was shocked when she heard him in the first place, but then he proceeded to save her from this handsy stranger, and it changed everything she ever known of Sheldon. He didn't resort to violence or senseless threats, but he _saved her_. And he didn't twitch once when he lied about the Government. She turned to him fully, "Wow, thanks Sheldon."

He shrugged, "I just only wish you took my advice and never left tonight," he said simply before deducing Brandon wasn't coming back, and he finally looked at Penny.

She didn't say anything but then, "How did you know his name?" He frowned in distaste, "He had his name tattooed on him, in a rather tacky design. 'Hello, I am: Brandon'." He started walking back towards the group, leading Penny towards them.

She couldn't help but chuckle, and to think she went to dance with him. "But what were you doing on your phone then? It was so convincing."

Sheldon pulled his phone out and showed her the most recent app open, "I was playing solitaire," he grinned.

They arrived back at the bar and was confused when everyone was staring wide-eyed at her. She felt exposed and puzzled but it was Bernadette who came up to her and placed a hand on her stomach, "You're pregnant?!"

She should've caught on when she noticed Amy staring deep into her glass.

* * *

**I'd appreciate reviews for the next chapter! I'd like to know what you guys are thinking.**


	3. III

**III.**

It was mayhem.

She would think the decision to carry a baby for Amy and Sheldon was a group choice, not hers, the way her friends were carrying on.

After Bernadette confronted her about her pregnancy, everyone decided to go back to 4A. The bar wasn't a place for them to have this conversation, and a lot of them had questions. So, everyone dispersed in the cars that they arrived in. It wasn't hard to spot the guilty look Amy wore the entire ride home. But it did take a lot of self-control for her not to go all Junior Rodeo on her, _how could she do that?_ She couldn't even excuse Amy's behaviour and blame the alcohol she consumed for the betrayal. Amy had only one drink, and over the year of knowing her the neurobiologist's alcohol tolerance had become a lot higher than before. Amy wasn't drunk. She knew what she was doing when she exposed their secret.

The girls arrived at the apartments first, probably because Sheldon was giving Leonard hell about the speed limit and how it was always good to respect street laws. She was glad she wasn't in that car; she didn't think she could take the looks the guys would be giving her. Even so, Bernadette's looks weren't that much better. She was just glad that she had this opportunity to think about what she'd tell everyone. Despite anything, she didn't think they'd understand.

She let herself into the guys apartment, and Bernadette and Amy followed behind slowly. Amy out of guilt, and Bernadette out of confusion. Amy sat in Sheldon's seat, making her grimace, while Bernadette took the arm chair. She just went to the kitchen looking for something to drink, because she didn't want to speak to Bernadette about any of this yet.

"Penny…"

The blonde looked over the fridge at the call of her name, Bernadette sat there looking troubled and Penny couldn't imagine why. This didn't affect Bernadette's life at all. She narrowed her eyes in response and saw the shorter blonde was just dying to shoot a round of questions at her. So, she shook her head, "No offense, Bernie, I just want to explain this once. So, if you could hold your burning questions until the guys get here that would be great."

There was silence after that.

She couldn't bother to feel bad. She was tired, and she was basically sexually harassed at the bar, and her friend the one who called her 'bestie' had betrayed her. They both knew she wanted this kept secret, until she could figure out how to tell people on her own. She knew somehow her parents would find out now, and her mother was never much of a fan of her Los Angeles lifestyle anyways. This would only give her mother ammo to degrade her further. She sighed loudly and saw Amy glance at her.

She wished she could go back and tell them 'no', maybe all this trouble wasn't even worth the cash they gave her. Why did they even want to become parents anyways? She didn't ask them that, and now she feels like she should've. At the time she thought it wasn't even any of her business, but if this was going to be _her child_, maybe it was her business.

She was pulled out of her thoughts at the sound of the door opening, and the guys piling in. It was the quietest she's ever heard any of them. She could feel the tension when the door closed, and they all looked around nervously. She closed the fridge door and walked towards the couches.

"You're in my spot, get up," it was Sheldon who spoke first as he narrowed his eyes at Amy. The brunette frowned deeply but moved anyways. Sheldon took his seat, and everyone else found somewhere to sit around them. No one really knew how to start so she felt like it was up to her to open her mouth, the rest of them were socially inept anyways.

"So, wanna catch me up?"

It was Leonard who spoke first. His eyes were narrowed, and he had that wrinkly forehead thing going on when he was confused. She could see the anger in his eyes, and she couldn't help but wonder why? They weren't dating, and she hadn't cheated on him. He had no right to be angry with her.

"Catch you up with what, Leonard?" Her voice was even, and she refused to let any of her emotion spill through.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, "Are you pregnant, Penny?"

She looked at her friends, all with curious expressions on their faces and she decided no time was best like the present, "Yeah, I am."

There were murmurs and little comments being made, but none she cared to decipher. She was only watching Sheldon's facial expressions throughout the entire thing. Amy was still looking nervous and guilty, as she should. Leonard looked a mix between angry, and sad. While Raj, Howard, and Bernadette just looked confused.

"Do you at least know who the father is?"

She expected that to come from Leonard since he was hurt, or even Howard, but she was shocked to find it came from Bernadette.

"Yeah, I mean I know you do have a few men in and out from time to time, but I hope you do know who it is, or you can at least narrow it down." Leonard agreed.

She felt tears in her eyes at their words, these were supposed to be the people who cared about her and she cared about too. And here they were knocking her down and picking apart her character, as if she had no morals. She didn't even sleep with half the men that came over; she wasn't a whore. She was lonely and liked the attention men gave her, but she would never whore herself out for dinner and company of one night. One-night stands weren't her thing, especially without protection.

"Are you serious right now?" She heard her voice wavering, and she felt her anger rising. She wasn't sure if it was because that's how she truly felt or if it was cause her _friends_ were assholes, or if it was her hormones.

They looked at her expectantly, unaware that anything they said was hurtful.

"Yes, I know who the damn father is. But I'm so glad you guys think that low of me to think otherwise," the hurt was evident in her voice and Raj looked like he felt bad for her. He was the only one she didn't feel like punching in the face.

"Yeah, but can you blame us for asking?" Bernadette pushed, while Leonard waved his hands in agreement, as if Bernadette was making a shut-and-closed case.

She scoffed, the venom in her voice cutting, "Me? How about you _Bernie_? Look who your husband is, _Howard_ of all people. And didn't you tell your mother you had sex with him after marriage? Now what a big lie that was, you and Howard were fucking like rabbit's way before you made it to the alter. Don't you ever speak to me about morals when yours are lost," she spun on Leonard next, "And you. After you cheated on me, you have the audacity to speak about multiple sexual partners? Do I need to remind you that you slept with Raj's sister, and Howard's date? Do I need to remind you, that you slept with Sheldon's assistant? Do I need to remind you that you out of everyone in this room has the longest rap sheet?"

Bernadette and Leonard cowed slightly, surprised at her outburst.

"And if any of you have anything else to say, that's not helpful than shut the hell up. Because whatever is happening in my body, doesn't affect anyone else than the people involved. It's not your body," she shot that towards Bernadette and Leonard, "And you have no say."

Raj stuttered slightly, but then stood to his feet, "I just want to say that I'm happy for you, Penny. No matter what anyone else says, life is always a beautiful thing."

She smiled at him and nodded, "Thank you, Sweetie."

"So, if you know who he is then tell us," Leonard egged, still bitter about what happened. He tried to call her bluff, not convinced she even knew.

It was then Sheldon stood to his feet. Everyone looked at him confused.

He walked to stand in front of the TV, beside her, telling her with his actions that he's here and he's going to help the situation. She didn't believe that, she figured whatever he was going to say was going to make things worse, but she didn't care at that point. Her friends were proving to be assholes, and she couldn't bother to spare their feelings any longer. So, she just stepped back slightly, and let Sheldon have the floor. She was going to watch this unfold, and screw everyone else that wasn't she, Raj, or Sheldon.

"First of all, as you all should be aware, stressing is not good for an expecting mother. So, all of you attacking Penny is extremely dangerous and unthoughtful. I'm disappointed in you all," he stated calmly looking around the room. She swore she saw a few expressions turn from unpleasant to somber, and she felt oddly vindicated. "As for you, Leonard, not that it's any of your business, but I am the father." He said just as calmly.

The room once again burst into confusion and murmurs, "Is this one of your bazinga's Sheldon, because this isn't funny? You're a robot, you don't _do_ sex, and you're dating Amy!"

The taller man only sighed and shook his head disappointedly, "No, this isn't a bazinga, Leonard. It's not a laughing matter. I am the father of the child inside of Penny, it has half of my DNA and half of Penny's DNA." He explained slowly.

"But Amy?" Howard spoke up.

Amy sat up straighter, content someone had remembered her, "I'm aware of what transpired, Howard. I was a part of the decision making."

"Decision making?"

She nodded, "Yes. Sheldon and I approached Penny, and we asked her to carry our child for us. I am infertile, I cannot bare children. Penny is very capable of having children." Everyone took a moment and thought about what Amy was saying.

Decision. Infertile. Penny. Insemination.

It seemed to click for them all at the same time, and it sedated them slightly knowing Sheldon and Penny never really had sex, but it was rather all artificial. "Ok, but that doesn't change the fact Penny is carrying her and Sheldon's child. That's weird."

"No. It is mine and Sheldon's child," Amy corrected pointedly, offended.

Leonard fixed Amy with a look, "We're all scientists here, Amy, if you're infertile and cannot have children. To make the one inside of Penny, they had to use _her_ egg. The child she is carrying may grow up _thinking_ your it's mom, but Penny will always be it's biological mom. That's Sheldon and Penny's child, and that brings me back to what I was saying, it's weird."

Sheldon was silent. He was aware of the fact it was Penny's egg, but he never thought about it that way. Leonard was correct. If their child ever did want a DNA test, it would always show Penny as it's mother. Amy was just a caregiver. Penny was carrying _their_ child.

It made him feel weird.

"Well there's a contract, Penny has agreed to sign over all parental rights to me when she gives birth. Not a moment sooner," Amy felt justified. Bernadette glanced at her friend, "Did Penny sign the contract though?" Amy thought about the document that went unsigned, one of Penny's conditions, and frowned.

The blonde had enough at this point, she wasn't going to let her friends get into Amy's head, despite Amy betraying her trust, "Enough. Amy is well aware that the baby will be hers once it's born. No contract is needed to tell her that. Now, I'm going to my apartment, frankly I don't want to see any of you for the rest of the night. The display you guys put on was selfish and unkind, and I've done nothing but show you all love since the day I've known you."

She walked out after that.

* * *

When she heard the knock on her door, she held her breath, slightly hoping to hear two more. She felt the disappointment wash over her when she heard Leonard's voice. She had to drag her feet to open the door, he wasn't the person she was wanting to see at the moment. Especially since he was the one to drag her down.

"What Leonard?"

She didn't care that he flinched slightly at the sound of her voice. She wasn't interested in seeing him right now, and if he wanted to get back in her good graces, he had a lot of apologizing and groveling to do. She watched him wring his hands and then finally settle on his puppy dog look, it never worked on her and it always made him look slightly pathetic, "I'm sorry, Penny. I just…I don't know why I said what I did, I guess it was jealousy."

She knew he was jealous, but that didn't excuse his behaviour, she didn't reply.

"I guess I was just always the one who thought me and you would eventually find our way back together no matter what. We'd get married and we'd have babies, an then I find out you and Sheldon are expecting a kid together…" he trails off and waves his hands, "I know, you'll be giving it to Amy and signing away rights or whatever, but still, that kid will always be half you."

She sighed and opened the door slightly, to let him in. He didn't hesitate to walk in and close the door behind him. She sat on her sofa and watched him stand there awkwardly for a few seconds before deciding to sit as well.

"What do you want?" She was curt.

"Well, I wanted to apologize firstly. Then, I wanted you to explain your side, maybe I could understand this more?"

She shook her head, "There's nothing to understand. Amy and Sheldon asked me for a favor, they wanted me to carry a baby for them, and I said yes. I'm six weeks pregnant, and in seven and a half months I'll be giving birth to a child that has mine and Sheldon's DNA, and then giving it to Amy. That's it."

He narrowed his eyes, "Six weeks? So, you kept it a secret for that long?" He sighed, "I mean, don't you think this is kind of weird? Sheldon, Penny…_Sheldon_. He can barely take care of himself; how do you expect him to take care of a child? Why did he even want one? Doesn't this worry you at all?"

She had to admit he posed good questions. Sheldon couldn't drive, nor could he throw out the garbage without practically a hazmat suit. How was he supposed to change diapers and clean the baby's nose? She felt herself grow worried at the wonder of the child's care. She knew he could provide for it financially, but a baby needed more than just financial stability. Amy was far too detached from society to understand a baby needed nourishment and nurturing. She'd probably treat it like one of her monkey's. Would they lock it up in a cage?

Leonard placed a hand on her arm and brought her attention to him, "I know, it's scary isn't it?" It was rhetorical, and she didn't feel like answering. Leonard had planted all these doubts and thoughts into her head, and now she felt herself questioning if she even wanted to give the child to Sheldon and Amy. She knew they had a deal, but what if Leonard was right?

"I know it's a lot to ask, Penny, but think about it…me and you, we could raise this baby better than they can. I can provide for it financially, so that wouldn't be an issue. And I don't know anyone more nurturing than you," he told her, and she could tell it was meant to schmooze her, but she only felt sick at the thought of raising Sheldon's baby with another man, much less Leonard.

"I think Sheldon would have a lot to say about you raising his own kid, don't you?"

Leonard looked taken back, clearly not expecting that answer from her, "I mean…maybe, but he'd probably see it as a favor I did for him in the long run. With a kid he wouldn't have as much time as he does now to focus on science. I doubt he even realized that with a kid, more than half of his time would have to be dedicated to the baby. I bet you if I tell him that he'd agree with me, that both of us should take it instead," the shorter man said it in a tone that made her lean away from him.

What did he know about Sheldon? Sure, he knew the guy for longer than she had, but all he did was talk down to him and make fun of him behind his back. Leonard wasn't a good person, and an even worse friend. She would never want to raise a kid with him, especially Sheldon's.

"Where is he? Where's Sheldon?"

He looked at his watch, "He should be getting home any minute now, he went to walk Amy home," he said.

"You should go Leonard, I'm tired," she lied.

He stood suddenly confused, "Think about it, Penny. You and I could be the ideal family, Sheldon couldn't give that baby what it needed. He doesn't know love. His only care is science, and especially if that baby isn't a genius like he is he won't even pay attention to it."

She closed the door on him as he said his last sentence, that wasn't something she wanted to hear. She couldn't lie though; Leonard did give her a lot to think about tonight.


	4. IV

**IV.**

Penny was glad to get some time to herself. She'd been pregnant for two and half months now, she was glad to be nearly out of first trimester, because that meant she was closer to not being pregnant anymore. Ever since it was out in the open that she was pregnant, Sheldon had become a lot more overbearing. She didn't think she'd ever see the day where Sheldon Cooper waited on her hand and foot. She couldn't help but take advantage the first few days, but it quickly became annoying. He barely gave her time to breathe, _do you need anything? Are you hungry? _

She was meant to go to the doctors in a few minutes, Sheldon and Amy were coming along as well of course, but Sheldon had gone to get his jacket and Amy was meeting them at the office, so she closed her eyes and let her thoughts travel.

She thought back to the night Amy had told her friends she was pregnant, and their reactions. The first one to come around was Bernadette, she called Penny by the middle of the week and was crying on the phone. She apologized profusely and called herself a hypocrite. Penny forgave her easily. Raj was always on her side and didn't need to apologize, but he did end up buying a few gender-neutral onesies, he was excited. Howard simply told her that her decisions weren't his business, she agreed, and they went back to their normal awkward ways. It was only Leonard who remained angry. Especially when she shut down his proposal to raise the baby together.

She couldn't care less about his opinions and feelings though; she had a whole baby growing inside of her and that happened to be her priority right now. Her stomach wasn't round by any means, and she was glad it didn't look like she was pregnant yet. However, if she wore one of her tank tops you could clearly see the difference in her stomach. It was as if she had finished eating at an all-you-can-eat buffet, and she had a food baby. So, she barely wore her tank tops anymore, she didn't want a constant reminder of what was growing inside of her.

A voice cut her out of her thoughts, and she looked to see Sheldon standing by her, "Are you ready?"

She let out a breath and stood to her feet, she nodded, and they went out the door.

Sheldon held her arm she helped herself onto the examination bed. Amy stood to her left while Sheldon stood to the right, by the screen. Both were eager to see their future child.

She flinched as her back touched the cold examination bed, she always hated doctor offices and hospitals alike. They were so sterile and impersonal, it felt like when you walked through the doors you were just meant to _die_. The walls were stark white, the only colour within the walls was Sheldon's shirts.

"You ok?"

She looked at the tall scientist, worry evident on his face. He noticed the look on her face, and he couldn't register what it meant. She had many facial expressions, but he never seen that one before and that paired with the detached look in her eyes, it scared him. Before he thought about it, he was gently touching her exposed arm, her skin radiating heat below his cold finger tips.

"Yeah…" her voice was barely a whisper.

Before they could speak further, the doors opened and the doctor from the first time she found out she was pregnant, walked in holding a clipboard. She looked up and noticed Sheldon, it took a keen eye to see her smile falter slightly, she noticed.

"Ah, Miss. Queen, Mr. Cooper, and Miss. Fowler," she added each name with a strain, "Let's do your check up, shall we?"

She knew better than to have small chit chat by now.

The doctor squeezed the gel on her slightly bloated stomach and got her wand tool. "So how has the morning sickness been?"

She glanced up at Sheldon quickly, she hadn't told him about the morning sickness. She didn't think he had to know, why would anyone want to know about her vomiting? She saw the look on his face and couldn't help but feel like she betrayed him somehow, which she knew was impossible because she didn't do anything wrong. "It's fine."

"Did you throw up today?"

She nodded.

"Anything out of the ordinary? Cramping? Bleeding?"

"Slight cramping, but nothing too bad."

She moved the wand around further, "Hmm, and you're getting cravings now too?"

She nodded again.

There was a pause, and Sheldon switched from looking at the screen and the doctor's facial expression while Amy's eyes were just glued to the screen, and the blonde's swollen stomach. "Well this is strange."

Three pairs of eyes were drawn to the doctor's face and watched as she moved the wand around further. Poking and prodding the swell of her stomach, she pushed the wand down against her waistline and hummed. "What's interesting? Is something wrong with my baby?" It was Sheldon's voice that brought the females out of their own thoughts.

It was the first time any of them, doctor included, heard him reference the child as _his_.

"No. Nothing is _wrong_," she zoomed into the screen, "You see this black bean shape thing?" She pointed to the screen with one hand as she used the other to move the wand around, "That's your baby," she stated once they all nodded.

She moved it around again, just a few centimeters, "Now do you see _this_ black bean thing?"

The blonde felt her blood run cold, and all of a sudden it felt like she couldn't breathe. _No, no, no_.

"That's _also_ your baby…" she trailed off, "Congratulations, you guys are having twins."

Sheldon stood to his feet appalled, "How are we having twins? It wasn't there two months ago! This is impossible, it couldn't possibly come out of nowhere?!"

Amy stood, agreeing with him, "Surely there has to be some kind of mistake. We have the sonogram pictures, there's only one baby highlighted."

"Well, sometimes mistakes happen. The last time you guys were here, the baby was positioned at an angle that made it hard to see. Perhaps the second child was hiding this entire time, camera shy. But now the little guy wanted to be seen, so twins." The doctor explained as she took photos of the development.

He looked down at the frozen blonde and felt bad. She was already nervous with one child, but now she would have to give birth to two. He knew she was a stubborn head-strong woman, but this was too much for her. He could tell. Sometimes he finds himself wishing he could take this back and not have ever crossed the hall to her apartment. He and Amy should've found a different solution.

He took her hand in his, "It's ok, Penny. We'll deal with this."

On their way out of the office, Sheldon came to an abrupt halt, stopping Amy and Penny in the process. They looked at him curiously, and he could only wonder how he ended up putting himself into this position. He should've been smarter than this. Nevertheless, he spoke up.

"Amy, would you mind it if we moved date night a few hours later so I could take Penny shopping?"

Amy looked appalled, "You're going to move date night to take Penny shopping?" Sheldon could only roll his eyes and let out a loud breath, "Yes, Amy, that is what I just said."

She frowned deeply, her eyebrows knit together, and arms folded, "I wouldn't like that at all!"

Before an argument broke out, Penny's mouth finally caught up to her brain and she spoke, "Sheldon it's fine Sweetie, you don't need to take me shopping. You can drive with Amy to her place, and I'll just drive home. I'll be ok."

The tall scientist looked offended, "That's completely unacceptable. You're pregnant, Penny, what if something were to happen to you I—"

"I have a cellphone."

"The time it would take for you to call an emergency service would be cut in half if I were with you. I simply can't leave you alone, no, you and I will go to the mall," he looked at Amy, "Amy, I will be at your apartment around nine."

Amy huffed in annoyance but left anyways.

"Sheldon…" she felt bad, she didn't do anything, and she was trying to fight in Amy's favor, "That wasn't necessary."

"But it was. We were just made aware you're carrying twins; we need to get items for the second child."

* * *

"Penny be reasonable, we don't know if it's a girl or not," he frowned at the pink little outfit she held up in her hands.

She rolled her eyes but put it back anyways, she hated to admit it, but he was right. She didn't want to make him spend unnecessary money. She placed a hand on the small swell of her stomach and sighed absent-mindedly, unaware that Sheldon was watching her with an intense gaze. She moved along the rack of baby clothes, skimming through the ones that caught her eye.

She turned to ask him if he liked an outfit, only to find him already staring at her. He didn't look away when she caught him staring. She felt a rush of heat crawl up the back of her neck and spread towards her face, she cleared her throat and removed her hand from her stomach, "Do you like this one?"

He looked at the white onesie that read '_My daddy is a genius!_' With a simple math equation below. He smirked and nodded his head, "That's acceptable."

She grinned and placed it in the arm basket she held on her forearm. He moved forward and stole the basket from her, stepping in line with her. She didn't say anything about the move, afraid she would say the wrong thing and break the moment. So, she just continued walking with him beside her, neither of them touching each other but close enough to feel the heat coming off the other's body.

As they were getting closer to the cash, an elderly couple walked by them. The older woman stopped her husband and turned her head to look at them, she smiled fondly. "Oh, look at this, Shawn."

They watched as Shawn rolled his eyes and sigh softly, "What is it, Betty?"

Betty walked up to them and looked up, joy in her eyes, "You guys are such a beautiful couple. You remind me of my Shawn and I, back when we were so young and in love," she smiled fondly and touched Sheldon's arm. Penny noticed how he tensed but didn't pull away immediately. She couldn't help but assume it was because it was an elderly woman and probably reminded him of his MeeMaw.

"Oh, Betty, every young couple we walk by you say reminds you of us," Shawn took hold of her hand again, slightly pulling her away.

"Yeah, that's because these couples are so in love," she snipped back before looking back at them, "You cherish her, son, these women deserve the world," she looked at Penny, "Both of you. I can just see the love between the both of you, and it's special, don't take it for granted," she said sincerely.

Throughout the entire situation Penny could barely speak, it was odd enough being pregnant with Sheldon's child, but to have a couple mistake them for a couple in love? It made her feel weird inside.

"Thank you, Betty, I will," it was Sheldon's voice who surprised her.

Betty smiled and let her Shawn pull her away.

"You will, huh?" She teased as they walked towards the check-out line. He only grew tense beside her, "Yes, well it's easier to just agree rather than explain our situation, isn't it?"

She didn't deny his words.

* * *

"So how was your little shopping adventure, with Penny?" Amy crossed her arms over her chest as she sat on her sofa. There was an unopened bottle of wine on the table in front of her, and it was looking rather tempting at this moment.

She couldn't believe Sheldon had ditched her. She knew he was slightly delayed in the romance department, and even the social one but she never expected him to want to ditch her. Even when she made her opinion known, she didn't want him to go with Penny, he still insisted. He didn't care. She told herself it was because her friend was carrying their child, and he wanted to make sure the money he paid her went to good use. She was positive Penny had already spent the money, and if she were to miscarry now it would've been a complete waste. Though, a darker side of her knew that wasn't true, if Penny wasn't pregnant and had asked Sheldon to accompany her anyways, he would. He always did things for Penny.

"It was hardly an adventure, Amy. We went to the mall. Yes, there were a lot more teenagers there, and it was rather annoying navigating through them, but I assure it wasn't an adventure," he stated as he flipped through her TV channels, unaware of the bitterness in her voice.

The brunette glared at the side of his head, willing it to explode. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and huffed loudly, hoping to capture his attention, she wasn't surprised when it didn't work.

"Sheldon, this baby—"

"Babies," he corrected simply.

"Right. These _babies_ are supposed to bring us closer together, and so far, I don't feel that it is. We have barely spent any time together since we found out Penny conceived, and this date night isn't going as planned," she told him her concerns.

For the first time that night, Sheldon turned to face her completely, she felt weird with all of his attention on her, but she was glad it was, "I hear you, Amy, and I understand your concerns. As your boyfriend, I get it is my job to quell any insecurities and problems you have. So, tell me Amy, how did you expect this night to go?"

She should've been glad that he was finally paying attention to her and her needs, she could've taken this time to tell him how she really felt, how she felt neglected and their relationship hasn't been progressing in the ways she already projected it to go. How it's been over a year and they were having a baby for heaven's sake, and he could still barely hold her hand without running for Purell.

Instead she said, "Never mind."

He raised an eyebrow at her, clearly not buying her nonchalant response. But he didn't push it because he was Sheldon Cooper and feelings was something, he wasn't very good at it. If he was capable of dodging the topic, he was going to take it. He turned back to the television and started flicking through the channels again, pointedly ignoring Amy's gaze.

She moved closer to him.

He had the urge to twitch, but he kept it under control.

She moved even closer.

His hand stuttered over the remote.

She was pressed up to his side now.

He jumped up.

"What is it that you're trying to do, Amy?"

She stood, matching his stare, she knew he was different. She knew that when they started dating, but damn she needed to be touched and he just wasn't doing it for her.

"Sheldon, I love you! Isn't that enough?" She shouted in despair, "No one will ever love you the way I do. I'm willing to put up with so many things from you. The quirks, that aren't cute or relatable, but just straight up weird! The constant twitching and the need to always be right, I do it all and I understand, and you can't even meet me half way?" She felt like crying at this point.

He stood there in alarm, "Where is this coming from, Amy?"

"We're having a baby together, Sheldon. _You and me._ But instead of me, you took Penny shopping for baby clothes. That was supposed to be something I did with you, as a new parent it would've been an amazing experience, and you robbed me of it."

"That's preposterous, Amy. You can still go shopping; I didn't get you banned from the mall."

She laughed, but nothing was funny, she threw her hands up in the air, "I wanted to go with you, Sheldon! But you sent me away and went with Penny!"

"She is carrying the baby. Besides, she's a lot more experienced than we are when it comes to all things shopping, you're aware of her shopping addiction," he reminds her.

She just shakes her head hopelessly, "You don't get it, and I don't think you ever will, Sheldon. It's a shame really, because I felt like this would change things between us and I was wrong."

He just stayed silent, confused.

"You put Penny above me," she said plainly. No emotion in her voice.

He was taken back. Put Penny above her? Hardly. Amy was his girlfriend, and the mother of his future child. Why would he put his neighbor over her? That was ridiculous. Only…once he thought about it, on all fronts, she was correct. He very much rather have Penny around than Amy, and he once justified it by saying Penny didn't try to kiss him and touch him every chance she got. But that wasn't completely true, Penny did touch him, no she didn't kiss him, but he found himself thinking he wouldn't try to stop her if she did.

He was alarmed and looked into Amy's face once again.

She nodded her head, as if knowing he just recognized what she said was true, "It's not just me either, its everyone. But that's ok, because I know you two have a weird special bond. Also, I trust Penny, I trust her to know she wouldn't do anything that would betray my trust for her," she said calmly, "I just want you to realize, so you can change it. I'm your girlfriend, and I deserve to be treated better."

Perhaps Amy was right.

She was going to be mothering his child soon, maybe he should get used to her touching him and start being affectionate towards her? Penny would soon be in his rear-view mirror, and his priorities would change to his children and Amy. He might as well get used to that now.

He only sat on the sofa, and Amy sat beside him, throwing his arm over her shoulders and cuddling into his side. He was tense the entire time. His pocket vibrated and he pulled his phone out, glancing at it from above Amy's head so she couldn't read the screen.

'_U coming home soon? I'm craving spaghetti with cut up hot dogs and a Firefly marathon'_

His heart yearned to go back home, but he glanced down at the head of brunette hair. It smelt like dandruff shampoo and antibacterial soap. It was a scent he would have to grow used to.

His fingers itched to reply the way he desired but instead, all he could reply was,

'_Sorry, won't be home in time. Spending quality time with Amy._'

He turned his phone off after that, he couldn't bear to read her response.


	5. V

**V.**

It wasn't hard to notice the change, it happened almost immediately.

One day, he was waiting on her hand and foot, making sure all of her needs were met and she was content –needing for nothing. The next, he was periodically checking in on her, and sometimes not at all. She didn't think nothing of it at first, maybe he had noticed she was needing some space and decided to give it to her, but then as time went on and he barely acknowledged her –even when she was over at 4A, that's when she knew something was going on. What made her certain was when she entered the boy's apartment and Amy was sitting in her seat, the middle cushion, and he said nothing about it. The brunette only looked up at her and smiled, and then cuddled into his side. She had to stop herself from gasping out loudly, when he didn't pull away or even flinch.

Something was different, and she didn't like it at all.

She was now in her second trimester; she was four months pregnant and out of nowhere her stomach had bumped. It was like she woke up one morning and all of a sudden, she could barely bend or see her toes. She figured it was because she was having twins, so her stomach was quicker to expand and larger than normal. She found that she didn't mind much. Between the constant peeing, and the slight weight gain, her pregnancy was going well. She even stopped vomiting. Sure, some smells still made her sick, but she didn't feel the need to find the nearest bathroom.

Both Amy and Sheldon still went to her doctor's appointments with her, but Amy would pick him up and then he would leave with her as well, with not more than a wave goodbye. She didn't know what brought this change on, but she hated it. She didn't know if it was the pregnant speaking, but lately all she wanted was Sheldon around her. She craved his presence and his touch, and it was weird but maybe it was because the babies knew he was their dad, so they wanted him around too. That was her only explanation. She missed him.

She opened the door to 4A, it was Pizza Night, and everyone was around the TV like expected. Amy still sitting in her spot like she had been the last few weeks, she rolled her eyes but said hello to everyone anyways. She picked up her slices and sat down without grace, she was hungry, and her feet hurt, she had no time to think about politeness.

"How do you feel, Penny?"

Swallowing the food in her mouth, she looked up at Bernadette, "Good, there are a few things I'm craving but can't have, so I have to deal with it," she shrugged.

She knew he was watching her from the corner of his eyes, and she wanted to yell at him to stop. If he wasn't going to pay attention to her normally, then don't pay attention to her now. She looked over at Leonard who, since the night he propositioned her, barely spoke a word to her, "How's Leslie Winkle doing, Leonard?"

The bespectacled man looked at her surprised she even acknowledged him, "We broke up."

She nodded her head as if she was thinking. She quickly weighed the pros and cons in her head of her next action, and honestly there were a lot more cons than there were pros, but she hated the way Sheldon was making her feel. She had to keep telling herself she didn't like the tall scientist; she was just feeling different because of her hormones. So, she opened her mouth, "I'm sorry to hear that. But maybe now you won't object to you and I going somewhere?"

The room got quiet.

"Like on a date?"

She hesitated, "I mean…sure…"

She saw the taller man's facial expression get cloudy, and she felt oddly satisfied. _That's what he gets for abandoning her_. Leonard's face lit up, and he turned all the way around to face her, the excitement clearly etched onto his face, "I would love that, Penny! I…I'll make calls and reservations immediately!"

She just nodded.

"Well, I'm so happy for you and Leonard, Bestie," it was Amy who spoke as she was grasping Sheldon's arm in a vice grip, "I also knew you and Leonard were meant to be together, just like me and my Sheldon," she leaned up and kissed his cheek.

She wanted to vomit. However, a sharp pain came over her and she gasped out loud as she held onto her stomach, her eyes closing in pain. Everyone in the room jumped forward, Sheldon first. He reached out to her, but she waved him away, not wanting him to touch her because he can't just pick and choose when she's important to him.

"Are you ok, Bestie? Are the babies ok?"

She just nodded her head and then answered through her pain, "Yeah…yeah, just, I felt one of them or what felt like both of them, kick."

Amy and Bernadette gasped in awe, and they rushed over to their friend asking if they can feel her stomach. She guided their hands over her round belly and watched as they felt around with their fingers, finally feeling the quick kick of the baby. They smiled at each other and went back to sit down. She could see the guys looking awkward at her, and she nodded them over.

Eagerly they got up, it was the first baby in the group anyways they never got this chance before and walked towards her. She gave Howard a warning look before she placed his and Leonard's hand in the spot Bernadette and Amy was in, their eyes shot open wide once they felt the kick and quickly withdrew.

"That's amazing," Howard said. She nodded in agreement.

Raj was last, he looked nervous, but she only coaxed him over and when he felt the kick his nervousness vanished, and he smiled broadly. He sat down.

Everyone except Amy looked at Sheldon expectantly, it was his baby and he wasn't even lining up to feel them kick for the first time. She didn't expect him to even ask to feel it because since he had been avoiding her these past few weeks, she got used to his odd behaviour. He avoided eye contact and went back to the television.

She felt unexpected sadness at this though. She never thought the first time she got pregnant would be like this. She thought she'd have a loving husband, and they would live happily together in a home they made together. Not a test tube baby, for two weird closed off scientists, one of whom played her feelings like a ping pong ball.

"Penny?" It was Leonard who spoke, "You're crying…are you ok?"

She quickly wiped at her eyes, "Yeah, I'm ok…I guess it's just hormones or whatever." He nodded, not believing her. "Stupid mood swings," she laughed half-heartedly, "I'm just gonna head to the bathroom quickly."

She didn't wait for a response; she was already waddling towards the bathroom. She didn't miss the look he gave her when she walked past him and towards the hall. She just wanted him to stop looking at her period. If he wasn't going to interact with her or much less talk to her, she wanted him to leave her alone. She was tired and her breast hurt all the time, she didn't have time to add his weird mood change onto her list.

She looked at herself in the bathroom mirror and sighed, she looked a mess. Her hair was thrown into a high messy bun, and she had not one ounce of make up on her face. She was wearing a baggy sweater, as always because she didn't want her bump on display, and a pair of sweatpants. She knew she wasn't fat, but she also knew she gained weight, and it took a toll on her self-confidence, so even though she had to see herself naked, she didn't want others to notice.

Splashing some water onto her face, she inhaled deeply and decided she should just go home. Fake sick, and then go to bed. They wouldn't question that. She opened the bathroom door and immediately bumped into the one guy she didn't want to speak to at the moment.

"Sorry…" she said the same time he said, "Penny."

She looked up at him, and it was the first time she couldn't read his emotions. There were so many feelings clouding his eyes it overwhelmed her, and she looked away. She didn't need this right now, what was he even doing here at the bathroom. She felt him take a step forward, making her step back, and then he closed the door behind them.

She wanted to yell at him, tell him to stop, but she couldn't find the words. Just being so close to him made her body relax and the babies seemed to love it, because she could feel them fluttering inside of her. She hated what he made her feel.

"What do you want Sheldon?" Her voice was clipped, and she was set on not letting him in.

He gripped her chin between his thumb and pointer finger and forced her to look up at him. His eyes intense and searching, "Why are you going out with Leonard again?"

She almost shoved him away and laughed out loud at that. He, the guy with the girlfriend and the guy who had been pointedly ignoring her for almost two months, was asking her about her dating life? He had no right. "You have no right to ask me about my dating life," she ripped her face away from his hands, despite how much it pained her to.

"You've made it abundantly clear you want nothing more from me than my eggs. So, don't worry, Sheldon, I hear you loud and clear," the bitterness in her voice was hard to miss.

He shook his head furiously, "That's not true at all, Penny," she almost believed him, "I miss you in my life, and more often than not, I find myself wanting to text you or to go to your apartment."

She chuckled humorlessly, "But you don't? So why are you here?"

"It's…" he trailed off, unsure if he should even continue. He already caused so much damage by ignoring her in the first place. Despite not wanting to, Amy had given him an ultimatum, either pay attention to her and leave Penny alone or lose the babies and Amy altogether. He didn't know what she meant by lose the babies, because if it came down to custody, she wouldn't even be a candidate, she wasn't the biological mom, so he didn't want to find out.

He looked at the blonde, and saw her impatiently waiting for him to speak, "It's just Amy," he finally let out, "She wants me to spend more time with her."

"And that means ignoring me, Sheldon?" She found it hard to believe.

He nodded, "Actually, yes. She finds that I spend too much time with you and put your needs well above her own. She wanted me to cut down contact with you to show my love for her."

It took a while for her to process what he was saying, partly because it made absolutely no sense. Amy was threatened by her friendship with Sheldon. If that was the case, why didn't she just tell her? She wanted to call Sheldon a liar, because there was no way Amy would do this. Though, he didn't twitch once, he wasn't lying. He was telling the truth. The pain behind his eyes was evident too.

"I didn't want to ignore you this entire time, Penny, you have to believe that. I just didn't want to lose the babies," he stated.

She questioned him on what he meant by 'lose the babies' and he told her the truth; Amy had given him the ultimatum. She didn't know if she felt sick or angry, but she knew she couldn't say anything anyways because that would mean Amy would find out Sheldon had told her. That would probably be bad news for him.

She just placed a hand on his arm, the first time she touched him in so long, and she instantly felt her body loosen up from how tense she previously was. She couldn't let him stay away from her any longer, not with the way his body made hers react. "Then we don't listen to Amy, Sheldon," she said simply, "I know she's your girlfriend and you're probably afraid of losing her—"

"I've come to realize, I'm more afraid of losing you than I am of losing Amy, Penny. I didn't think it was true, but not knowing how you were doing, and the fact I couldn't text you, it was killing me…" he trailed off, "And then what cemented my realization further was the way I felt when I heard you ask Leonard out."

She looked at him carefully, "And how did you feel?"

He looked away from her and shrugged, "I just know I didn't like it. Ever since I found out you were carrying my child; I felt this need to protect you and it alarmed me because I don't feel the need to protect anyone or anything aside from my equations and collectibles." He looked at her stomach and then to her face, "But now, I feel like protecting you and my children are my top priority."

She felt the tears come back to her eyes and she had to look away from him and try to will them from falling. She couldn't believe Sheldon Cooper told her this. She would think it was a pick up line from any other guy, but from him, it touched her heart and a part of her hated it. She couldn't have him, and frankly she was unsure if she even wanted him, all she knew was she wanted to be around him more than ever.

She nodded her head, "But there's still Leonard, I did promise him a date."

He frowned deeply, "Then…we will double."

* * *

Amy was unhappy with the fact their date consisted of Leonard and Penny as well, but she was glad Sheldon had taken the initiative to ask her out on a night that wasn't date night. She would just have to overlook the Penny and Leonard part.

Leonard on the other hand was rather angry that Sheldon and Amy tagged along. He was under the impression it would just be he and Penny, and to find out it wasn't just put a hole in his plans. He wanted to revisit the proposition he gave Penny that night a few months ago. Maybe now that she and Sheldon had stopped spending so much time together, maybe now she was willing to be with him. That would just have to wait till later, he was hoping she would invite him back to her apartment because he had done his research and pregnant women were a lot hornier than non-pregnant woman, and if he remembered Penny's libido correctly, he knew she was craving sexual contact. He was willing to take one for the team.

They arrived at the Szechuan Palace with little conversation, and all four of them piled out of the car and towards the door.

They were all dressed very modestly, like a normal night out with friends but slightly fancier. Penny asked them to not go too fancy, because she wasn't feeling her best at the moment and would feel depressed if everyone looked like superstars and she looked like the bum that lived under the bridge near their apartment. They understood and agreed.

"The usual?" Everyone nodded except the blonde sitting at the table.

"Actually, I'd like to just get the tofu crispy noodle salad," she said, "With an iced tea," she added.

Mr. Chen nodded and walked away.

Sheldon who sat across from her smiled warmly, "I'm glad you're remembering your diet, Penny." She shrugged her shoulders, glad he noticed but playing it off as if it was no big deal, "I've been doing it now for about four months, it's second nature."

Leonard and Amy glared at their dates, unhappy that they were paying attention to each other and not them. Amy cleared her throat loudly, "So, Leonard, are you and Penny officially dating now?" She hoped to push the conversation to their relationship, hoping it would get the point across to Sheldon that Penny didn't care about him.

She wasn't stupid. By now she knew Sheldon had feelings for Penny, even when he wasn't paying any attention to her and avoiding her, she could tell his mind was somewhere else and it wasn't with her. She couldn't wait for the months to go by and Penny to no longer be pregnant, so she could take the babies and Penny could leave them alone once and for all. She planned to move her new family into a cute house, away from Robles and their friends, that way Sheldon would have to focus on her and rely on her. She couldn't do that with Penny in the way.

Yes, Penny was her Bestie, but she couldn't read Penny like she could Sheldon. She didn't know if Penny had any kinds of feelings towards Sheldon. All she knew was she had become a lot more attached and she read it was because of her pregnancy, her body knew Sheldon was the father of her children and it reacted in a way where her lungs reacted to oxygen. She hated knowing this, but it was another reason why she was excited for Penny to no longer be pregnant.

"I hope so," Leonard grinned at Penny, "I've missed her so much, I could barely think," he said in a tone that made her want to vomit.

Sheldon hummed, "So much so, you were capable of bringing Leslie Winkle, and Alex, back to the apartment to participate in coitus?" He saw Amy glare at him, "Sex. You had sex with the two females."

Leonard matched her glare, "I was confused and stupid," he said simply.

Penny shook her head, "I'm not dating anyone," she said calmly, "I'm focusing on the health of the babies and me. Dating isn't in my books," she looked at Leonard who's face fell, "For a long time," she finalized.

Sheldon felt vindicated as he sat back into his seat. He knew Penny wasn't his to claim, he wasn't Leonard, but he did feel nice knowing she wasn't going to be getting into a relationship with him or anyone for that matter, for a long time. Her only focus was their babies.

The rest of their dinner was relatively quiet, they only exchanged slight commentary about their food or their work. It felt more like a dinner between friends than a date, and Leonard and Amy were unhappy with that. It wasn't until Mr. Chen arrived back at their table holding a gravy boat, they felt the tension around the table slightly melting away.

"Gravy?"

Amy, Sheldon, and Leonard all agreed while Penny hesitated, "Are their peanuts in this?"

Mr. Chen nodded, "Peanut taste good."

Quickly Sheldon's hand reached out to stop Mr. Chen from pouring it onto Penny's food, and Penny shook her head, "I'm sorry, I can't eat peanuts. I'm allergic," she said sadly.

Mr. Chen nodded his head and walked away from the table.

Leonard fidgeted in his seat, "Oh yeah, I forgot you were allergic to peanuts…was it only by consumption or you know…if someone ate peanuts and then you kissed them after?"

Penny rolled her eyes, "Either way," she stated, "And I'm not kissing you, Leonard."

* * *

Everyone walked back up to the fourth-floor landing, quietly. Sheldon and Penny made up the back while Leonard and Amy made it to the top first. There was talking between both couples but neither could make out with the other couple was saying.

"Did tonight go well?"

She looked at Sheldon, "It went better than it would've if it were just Leonard and I," she said truthfully.

Sheldon nodded his head in agreement, he too felt like tonight went better than expected. He wanted to ruin Leonard and Penny's date night because he didn't think Leonard even deserved the chance to get back in her good graces. He didn't know what went on in Penny's apartment the night he walked Amy home and Leonard went over to Penny's, but it was clearly enough to upset her, and he would do his duty and keep them separate.

"You're not going to ignore me anymore, right?" Her voice sounded small, and she hated herself for it.

He looked at her, _really_ looked at her, "No. I won't."

She smiled as they reached the fourth-floor landing.

Everyone said goodnight and Penny entered her apartment, watching Leonard, Sheldon, and Amy walk into 4A. She would've gone with them, but she was having cramps again, and her nausea was coming over her. At this point she preferred to vomit over having the feeling that she needed to, but it wouldn't come up. Nausea was worse than actually vomiting.

An hour later, as she was putting on her pajamas, there was a knock on her door.

"Amy?" She questioned once she saw her friend standing there.

Amy smiled at her and pulled a clear baggy out of her pocket, "I remember you telling me about your nausea and I quickly went back to the lab to retrieve these," she showed her the pill bottle, "It's to combat any sickness you feel and it will help with your cramping."

Penny took the bottle from Amy and examined it; the label was filled with these large words she could barely understand but she trusted Amy enough to not question it.

"Thanks, Ames, you're such a great friend," she smiled and pulled the brunette into a hug, "These will help so much," she grinned.

Amy nodded, "I hope so."

They spoke for a while before Amy said goodnight and left again.

She walked into her bedroom and turned the light off, a sudden wave of nausea washing over her again. She sighed deeply and opened the pill bottle Amy better had been right about these helping her. She took two pills like suggested and went to bed.


	6. VI

**VI.**

Sheldon watched her with worried eyes, this was the fifth time for the day she was hovering over the toilet throwing up whatever contents were in her stomach. It's been a week since their double date, and every day since then was spent like this. He tried to get her to go to the doctors, but she always told him it was just morning sickness. He had to refrain from reminding her she hadn't thrown up in months.

She groaned weakly and exited the bathroom, immediately greeted with a cup of earl grey tea and a handful of crackers. She accepted it thankfully and trudged towards the couch; not caring that she fell into his spot. He didn't seem to mind either, because he sat on top of the coffee table in front of her. He studied her face carefully, not happy with what he saw. The colour was completely drained from her face and she looked weak.

Sighing, he took the cup from her hands and replaced it with his own, "I'm worried for you, Penny."

She waved him off, "Don't be. It's just the pregnancy."

He shook his head, clearly not convinced. This wasn't 'just the pregnancy', this was something more, and he was afraid it would start affecting the babies too. She was barely keeping down anything she ate, and he knew he wasn't no medical doctor, but he was pretty sure the babies got their food from the host of the body they were in. He sighed deeply, "Penny…"

She ignored him, "Can you pass me my pills please? I'm feeling nauseous again," she pointed to the kitchen island, her purse lay on the surface.

He only nodded and went to collect them. He searched through the purse until he got the orange bottle, he glanced at her, "These?" He watched as she nodded and started to fan herself with her hand, a sweat breaking out over her eyebrows.

"Are you ok, Penny?"

She shifted slightly, "Yeah, it's just a little hot…please pass the pills, I think I might have to take a double dose. They don't seem to be working." She frowned.

He glanced from her and towards the bottle again, skimming over the label, "Where did you say you got these—" He immediately stopped speaking as he looked up at Penny and saw her struggling to breathe. She had one hand on her stomach and the other on her throat, inhaling deeply as she struggled to get air through her airway.

He quickly put the pills in his pocket and ran towards her, "Penny?!" He was frantic.

She gasped loudly, "Cant...can't…breathe," she rasped. He looked around frantically for her keys, "We're going to the hospital, now!"

He felt his heart in this throat and he couldn't focus on anything. He knew the brain could only go six minutes after the heart stops and depending on how long Penny could keep rasping for breath…he didn't want to finish that thought. He rummaged through the kitchen drawers and threw her one of Leonard's extra inhalers, "Use this, please," he begged as he guided her out of the apartment as carefully as he could.

He hadn't sat behind the wheel of a car in years, not since his father beat him for not being able to drive the way he taught him. He was only sixteen and his father sat in the passenger seat, barking orders at him to _drive straight, turn here, reverse there! _He turned right instead of left, and his father didn't like that and beat him. He hadn't touched a steering wheel since. But this was an emergency.

The ride to the hospital was bumpy, but they made it. Penny was still struggling to breathe, and he refused to let her stop. He'd perform CPR on her if he had to. He guided her into the hospital and flagged down the nearest doctor. He needed assistance, now.

Once the doctor took her and put an oxygen mask over her face, he watched as her eyes closed slowly and she was soon unconscious. He looked at the doctor confused and alarmed, "Don't worry, she's just sleeping. It'll be easier this way to control her breathing," he explained calmly, "She's pregnant, right?"

He nodded, "Twins."

The doctor nodded, "If you don't mind just waiting outside the room? We're going to run some tests on her and figure out what caused this and check on the babies. You may want to take this time and call her family and friends, whoever, and just let them know about her condition."

It was then he remembered about their friends, and he would probably have to call her parents. He winced at that; he wasn't even sure if she told them she was pregnant. His better judgement was to let them know, but he decided Penny wouldn't appreciate that, and she would make the call when she wakes up. He sighed and pulled out his cellphone, calling all of their friends.

It was about an hour later, and everyone finally made it. Leonard showing up last.

"Do they know what's wrong with her?"

Sheldon shook his head, "No, they're running some tests. I don't even know what went wrong," he put his head into his hands and sighed deeply, "One minute she was fine, or as fine as she could be. You all were aware she was hit pretty hard this week with her pregnancy symptoms. There wasn't one moment where she wasn't heaving into the toilet," he explained, his voice drained, "Well, she finished, and she was sitting on the couch and all of a sudden she couldn't breathe, and I had to drive her here."

"You drove?" Leonard was shocked.

He glared at his roommate, "That's not the point right now," he said sharply, "The point is, I have no idea what happened and how to fix it. I don't know if she's ok, I don't know if the babies are ok…" he trailed off.

"Did she eat something weird?"

He looked at Raj and then tried to recollect all the things he witnessed Penny eat, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. For the most part he paid for her food, so he was aware of what she was putting in her body. Before he could respond, the doctor came back out holding a chart, "Penelope Queen?"

They all stood to their feet, "That's us," he said eagerly, stepping ahead of the group.

The doctor looked around and then finally settled on Sheldon, "Well I have a few things to tell you," he flipped through the chart, "It seems Miss. Queen had an allergic reaction, it seems like she was going through one for a very long time actually which is extremely odd."

"What? What do you mean? How is that even possible?" Howard spoke up.

"Well, whatever it was she was allergic to-"

"Peanuts," Leonard offered proudly.

Sheldon only rolled his eyes.

"Yes, well peanuts," he corrected, "It seems like for whatever reason, whatever peanut product she consumed had a slow affect on her body until suddenly it didn't. In simpler terms, it was like the product was taunting her body, making it sick before finally hitting it hard, that's what caused her asphyxiation."

"Asphyxiation?!" Sheldon exclaimed.

The doctor nodded, "A few more minutes and she probably would've been dead."

Everyone was silent, taking in the doctors' words.

"But she couldn't have had anything with peanuts, I paid for her food this entire week. I was extremely careful when ordering her food."

Leonard sneered, "Well clearly not careful enough. Penny is going to be so disappointed in you when she finds out you were the cause of this," internally he felt glad Sheldon was the cause of all this.

"So, she's ok? Are the babies?" Bernadette spoke.

The doctor nodded, "She's fine. She's sleeping right now; we combatted her allergic reaction and she's breathing on her own now. She's stable," he told them, "However, she did go a long time without oxygen and though fetus' have a defense mechanism against that, it only lasts for so long," he looked at all of them, "She suffered a miscarriage while being unable to breathe. Only one baby survived."

Sheldon felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders, and suddenly he felt Amy lean into him. She was crying into his side, and he couldn't find it in himself to comfort her. He was suffering a loss as well, and he didn't know how he would ever tell Penny. She would be devastated; she would think it was her fault.

"Wow, you even killed one of her kids," Leonard murmured.

He was right, somehow he let the peanuts get into her food and he harmed her unintentionally.

"You guys may visit her; she might be waking up soon."

Sheldon stopped the doctor from leaving, "What happens now though? Now that one twin is…is dead," he hesitated, "How will this affect the surviving one? And will she have to carry the miscarried one to full term?"

The doctor gave him a sympathetic smile, "No, Mr. Cooper, she's lucky enough to still be early in her pregnancy. The surviving twin will absorb the nutrients from the deceased twin, and the placenta will be absorbed in her tissue. When she gives birth, you won't even know there was a second child," he said sadly.

Sheldon just nodded his head and followed the group to her room.

She looked relatively calm; she was hooked up to a few machines, but she was breathing on her own. He took that as a good sign. He dreaded having to tell her the news about their babies, but he was thankful and grateful one of them was still alive. He hated knowing she would blame herself for this.

He listened as all their friends took her hand in their own and said their well-wishes, hoping her to get better. It was when Bernadette started speaking her eyes started to flutter open and everyone smiled, "Hey, Penny," they smiled.

She smiled back, "Hey guys," her voice was rough, "I'm sorry for scaring you all," she said with a frown. Howard waved her away, "Hey, you're our friend, you're there for all of us when we need you. It's no problem at all, we had to make sure you were ok."

She felt her eyes watering and she pulled the bowl-cut haired man in for a hug, "Thanks Howard," she cried. Shocked, Howard hugged her back in a way that wasn't creepy at all and touched all of their hearts.

"So, did the doctor say what was wrong with me?"

"Apparently you had a pro-longed allergic reaction," Leonard frowned, "Someone gave you peanuts."

She shook her head, "Impossible. Sheldon oversaw all of my food."

"Well apparently not carefully enough. He let it slip and for that you almost died, and one of your twins died," Leonard snapped. He was tired of Penny always defending his roommate, when was she going to see the right choice for her was him?

Sheldon's head snapped towards Leonard angrily, while Penny's towards Sheldon, "Leonard! That was completely uncalled for, get out!" He ordered. About to rebuttal, he felt his friends pulling him out of the room angrily.

"Sheldon…one of our babies are dead?"

He hated hearing her voice so feeble, and so weak. She was such a strong woman; she didn't deserve to feel this way. She deserved all the best things in life, and she didn't deserve any pain or harm to come her way. He hated himself for doing this to them, he hated himself for doing this to her. He was already feeling bad about the loss of one of their children, he couldn't imagine how she felt about it.

He took her hand in his as he sat in a chair beside her bed. He bowed his head and let his forehead touch the mattress, he felt the tears threatening to fall, "I'm so sorry, Penny. I don't know how I let peanuts ends up in your food. I was so certain I was careful, I even avoided peanuts as well."

She was quiet.

"I understand if you're upset with me and never want to speak to me again, but please don't keep the baby away from me. I never meant to endanger you or our future children," he apologized genuinely. A tear finally falling from his eyes.

He felt her tug on his hand, and he looked up at her finally meeting her sad eyes. "I don't blame you, Sweetie," her voice cracked, "You've been so attentive, and careful with me for the past few weeks. It was a mistake," she assured him, "It's sad, and unfortunate, but I could never blame you. You didn't intentionally set out to hurt me."

He shook his head, "Oh goodness, no. I would never do that to you, Penny."

She nodded her head, but felt a wave of nausea overcome her, "Please tell me you brought my pills. I feel so sick," she laid back against the pillow.

He nodded, "I don't think the doctors will allow me to give these to you though, you're still medicated from whatever they gave you already. I don't want to risk it, maybe I can ask them though," he stated as he pulled the bottle from his pocket, "What were these called?"

"I don't know, some big words I didn't get around to Googling. I think it says on the bottle," she said dismissively.

He looked at the label, "Arachis hypogaea," he read and took a few seconds before standing abruptly, "Penny!"

She looked at him in alarm, "What? Is everything ok?"

"Do you know what that means? Arachis hypogaea."

"Uh, no…am I supposed to?"

"Peanuts! It's the scientific name for peanuts!"

She sat up and looked at him confused, "So you mean to tell me I've been taking peanut pills?"

He nodded, "Where the hell did you get these and why have you been taking them to combat your nausea?" He was livid. He knew Penny didn't know they were peanut pills, but damn why had he let this get so far? If he had monitored her medicine this would've been avoided.

She thought back to when she got the pills, "Uh I got them after our double date a week ago, when everyone went home Amy came back to my apartment and gave me them. Told me it would help with my sickness."

"Amy gave these to you?!"

It was then it clicked in her head what that meant. Amy had to have known she was allergic to peanuts; she was there when she denied Mr. Chen the gravy. It was no coincidence she came later that night with _peanut pills_.

Before she could say anything, Sheldon was already storming out of the room to find his girlfriend. He had a few choice words for her.

"Where's Amy?"

"She went home, dude, she got a call about something I think," Raj said simply.

"Why?" Howard asked.

Usually, Sheldon would've spared Amy's reputation and her friendship with everyone else. But what she did was criminal, and he could have her locked away for this. He showed everyone the pills, "She intentionally gave Penny peanut pills. They were slowly killing her and ended up killing one of my kids!"

Everyone was shocked.


	7. VII

**VII.**

She's read about mothers who had gone through miscarriages, and loss of their unborn child, she's always thought those stories were exaggerated. She knew there was pain, and that pain was very real, but for how long could you mourn something you were never able to hold? That's why she never bothered to pay attention to any of those sob stories, they couldn't be that real.

Until now.

The pain was unbearable. She was lucky enough to be blessed with twins and had one still alive. She was so grateful for that. However, knowing her body was in the process of absorbing what was left of her second unborn child…it killed her. The pain was _very, very_ real. She didn't blame anyone but herself for this loss. She shouldn't have trusted just anybody with her body. She should've searched up the words she didn't know before ingesting the pills, not only that, she kept taking them knowing they didn't even help. She was ignorant, and for that her child had to pay the price.

Yes, she was handing the children over to Sheldon and Amy, not so much anymore, but still they were _her_ kids. She was four months and a half pregnant, and she felt them in her womb throughout it all. Now, she only felt the feet of only one. How would she even be able to tell the child that in the future? _I killed your twin by accident, love you though!_

She was a terrible mother and they weren't even born yet.

She spent a week in the hospital, the doctors were monitoring her heart rate and watching the surviving child's vitals as well. It took everything inside of her to not break down in front of her friends. It was only when they left for the night, she let herself cry. On the second night there, she was sobbing into her pillow when the door unexpectedly opened, and Sheldon had walked in holding a paper bag of food. He didn't say anything, he only placed the bag on the table, got into the bed with her, and held her until she stopped crying. Long forgotten was the Thai food.

After that night, he stayed overnight with her for the rest of the week. The same routine every time. She found the only way she could ever sleep peacefully, or as peaceful as she could get, was if she was crying and torturing herself over the loss of her child. Why should she be able to sleep peacefully and carry on peacefully, while her child died? It wasn't fair.

At the end of the week, Sheldon held her chin in his hand and forced an intense eye contact between them. All he said was, "Stop punishing yourself."

It took a few hours for her to finally let his words in, he was right. No matter how bad she felt, she still had a baby to protect and help grow. Crying constantly couldn't be healthy for it. So, they left the hospital in slightly better moods than they arrived.

She spent most of her time at 4A now, she even found herself falling asleep in Sheldon's room too, with him cuddling her protectively. Ever since the week in the hospital, and the near-death experience she had he had been attached to her a lot more than he used to be. She barely had time to breath, only while in the bathroom and even then, he made sure to keep one ear glued to the door. He refused to let her out of his sight. She noticed his roommate getting impatient with it as well, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

She twisted slightly in her seat, rather Sheldon's seat, her back had started hurting her a lot lately but she didn't feel like she deserved to whine about it. The doctor told her since the miscarriage she would experience some cramping as her body absorbed the tissue, whether in her back or her stomach, and it seemed like it was happening now. She would endure this because of what she did, what she caused. She sighed deeply as the front door opened.

"Penny…"

She nodded, "Leonard."

Her ex-boyfriend stood there awkwardly. This was one of those rare moments where he caught her without Sheldon hovering over her like a shadow, and he felt like he should seize it somehow. This was the moment he had been looking for since they had their double date three weeks ago. He looked at her, and his face fell slightly when he noticed she wasn't even paying attention to him, but rather had a look of discomfort on her face.

"Are you alright?"

She groaned, "No. I just have some cramps right now," she said, "In my back."

His face lit up, "If you would like, I can give you a friendly massage. Mother always used to say I had small feeble hands, maybe I could help you out?"

She gave him a side eye; she was obviously weary of him and he knew she had all the reason to be. Especially after what he did, but maybe he could find himself back in their good graces before they found out, if they ever did, and then they wouldn't be too angry at him.

"Fine. Just a quick one." She said as she scooted towards the edge of her seat. He smiled eagerly and made his way around the back of the couch, taking his satchel off and disposing it on the floor, he would hurry before she decided to change her mind.

He carefully placed his hands on her shoulders, the first time he was touching her since they dated so long ago, and he waited for her reaction. Once he realized she wasn't going to complain, he slowly moved his hands and added slight pressure. He would work his way down her shoulders blade, and towards her lower back, and up again.

He felt encouraged when he heard her let out a little moan. He smirked to himself, he knew Sheldon had never made her make those sounds before. For one, they never had sex. And though he knew they shared a bed now, he knew nothing romantic or sexual could be going on in there, Sheldon was asexual and had no deal. He let his thoughts wander as he thought about that. Now that Amy was on the lam, Sheldon would technically be a single father, and that is a less than ideal image to think of when it comes to the life of a young child. So, though he knew it was a long shot, maybe Penny would think of him as a viable candidate now?

He was about to speak when the door opened, and then slammed loudly. He looked up, and he couldn't help but smirk when he saw his roommates cloudy face as he stared at him and Penny. He knew what they were doing was innocent, but he _loved_ the picture it painted in Sheldon's head.

It was Penny who pulled away from him first, and then she stood on wobbly feet, "Sheldon…" she smiled and waddled towards him. He held an arm out and gently pulled her towards him, "How was work?" She asked as he never once took his stormy eyes away from Leonard.

She tapped his chest, and he finally looked down at her, "Adequate. What's going on?"

She shrugged as if it were no big deal, "My back was hurting me, really badly, and Leonard came home and offered to give me a backrub."

He went back and shot his roommate a look, "I bet he did."

Leonard than spoke up, feeling like if he poked the sleeping bear enough that it would blow up in his roommates face and everything would go better for him, "Hey, the lady was in pain. Who am I to leave a damsel in distress? I was practically her Knight in Shining Armor."

The taller scientist only narrowed his eyes, "Be reasonable Leonard, if anything you were one of the seven dwarves, let's see…" he trailed off sarcastically, "_Frumpy?_"

The two roommates squared off with each other, both obviously displeased about the other's presence being around. The blonde female sighed, knowing a weird science version of a piss contest was about to start so she just held Sheldon's hand, and although he was glaring at his roommate, his fingers instinctively curled around her own. "Come Sheldon, my back still hurts you can finish the massage, I think I have some oils in my apartment," she went to pull him out of 4A, not missing the disbelieving look on Leonard's face.

"Wait," Sheldon said once out of his reverie, "I got a hold of Amy Farrah Fowler," his voice was thick with bitterness.

The room went silent, even Leonard was shocked.

"What happened?"

"She called me from an unrecognizable number. She was crying and apologizing profusely for what she had done, she asked to meet me and explain her side of things," it was the first time she saw him roll his eyes, "I stopped her, told her I will get Howard to trace her phone call and bring it to the authorities _if_ she didn't come to the apartment and explain to_ everybody_ including yourself, Penny, why she did what she did," he nodded assuredly, "I called Koothrappali, Wolowitz, and Bernadette on my way home. Everyone should be here in a few minutes," he stated calmly.

She was unsure of what to even say. She knew she wanted to speak to Amy eventually, but a week later? Was this too soon? Would she even be able to control herself when she saw the brunette? She sighed, and then there was a knock on the door, she figured she didn't have time to figure it out.

It wasn't much longer the entire group was sat in the living room of 4A. Amy stood ashamedly by the front door while the rest of the group separated themselves from her, all disgusted by her behaviour. The protective hold Sheldon had on Penny didn't go unnoticed by anyone. Though, they all decided to not acknowledge it, there were bigger fish to fry. Even Leonard found himself not being able to focus on Penny and Sheldon, he was too consumed with the anger he felt for Amy to even think about pursuing Penny.

"I…"

Sheldon shushed the brunette up with a hand, "No. You don't speak yet. I'm sure Penny has questions to ask you, you'll wait for her to ask and then you respond. That's it."

"I called you to explain my side, Sheldon. Not to be interrogated."

The taller man gave her a look that could've killed, and she instantly fell silent. Everyone watched in curiosity as he softened when he fell back beside Penny, his hard glare still on the brunette.

"Why, Amy?"

"Why what?"

She glared at the friend she once had, "Why did you want to kill my babies?" She spat out bitterly.

Something in Amy snapped, and she let out a humorless cackle, "Your babies? Listen to you, this wasn't ever about you, Penny. Sheldon and I came to you for us, you were nothing more than a human incubator because I couldn't have children. These were never your children, they just had your DNA," the viciousness in her tone was unbearable, "You were never really going to be their mother, Penny. Do you think you could stop drinking long enough to even take care of them?" She laughed.

Howard stood to his feet, "That's enough, Amy, what you did was completely out of line and I don't know about anyone else but I'm pretty sure I speak for us all when I say I won't hesitate to call the police on you."

Amy glared at Howard, unmoved by his threat, "For what? You have no proof of anything, no confession, no paper trace," she smirked, "You can't implicate me, and that sucks doesn't it?"

She scorned brunette watched as Sheldon rubbed Penny's arms comfortingly, eyes narrowed, she pointed accusingly at the two, "This is why I did what I did. Sheldon look at you! You always had an issue with physical contact when it came to me, but when it came to Little Miss Sunshine, you were always eager for her touches. You prefer her over me, and as your girlfriend that _hurt_. I was _hurt_, Sheldon! I felt like my own boyfriend didn't want me. First my family, then my boyfriend, and then we were supposed to have her children? I know she was your first suggestion. You acted as if she wasn't, but I know she was the only person you had in mind to bare your children, and it made me sick to my stomach every day I thought about it. But I went along with it because this was a big step and getting you to take it was miraculous. Now, I regret it every single day," she trailed off as she shook her head, "I saw no way out, except one…"

Sheldon glared at her, "I am not your boyfriend, Amy, as if that wasn't clear enough. You terminated our relationship the moment you poisoned, Penny," he seethed, "And you're right. I rather Penny's touch because yours was cold and manipulating."

Amy let his words roll off her back, "This is why I did what I did," she repeated as if it justified her actions.

"This is why you set out to murder the children you wanted in the first place?"

The brunette shook her head, "I never meant to hurt the kids, I meant to hurt you," she smiled at Penny, "That's why I used peanuts. In lieu of your allergy, I thought best to use it against you. No, the initial thought wasn't murder and it took a long time for me to even come to that conclusion. Yes, I felt like you betrayed me, Penny, you and Sheldon, but you were my best friend and I loved you. However, it was just a lot of rage and jealousy that made me so angry I thought to up the dosage of the peanut pills, and let it do its job."

Penny felt like she couldn't breathe. Amy, the female she trusted, set out to harm her and she said it with pride. She buried her face into Sheldon's chest and felt the sobs wrack her body.

"I think it's time for you to leave, Amy," Raj and Bernadette stood to their feet, shielding her from Amy's view. Amy only rolled her eyes, "If you're kicking me out, you might as well kick Leonard out."

"What?" Sheldon's voice was curt, and he glanced at Leonard sharply.

Leonard looked away, he thought if he stayed silent the entire time no one would remember him, and Amy would forget. He guessed wrong. "Yeah, he was the one who gave me the idea."

"What?!"

She nodded, "Don't you remember? The night of our _double date_? When we were walking up the stairs, you two were lagging behind, as usual too preoccupied with each other to notice your dates. Leonard and I were so upset at you two for not paying attention to us that night, even though it had been both of you who asked _us_ out. I may not have an eidetic memory, but I'm sure he said something along the lines of 'I wish there was a way to separate them forever.' That's when half the idea came to me." She nodded.

"That doesn't implicate him at all," Howard stated, "It's just his jealousy speaking."

"Oh, but doesn't it? I asked him what he meant, and he went on to say, 'I just feel like if I can't have Penny, no one should get her. She's mine. And it's either me or death,' then he went on about ways he would end her life if she chose to leave him or rejected him again. Sure, they were probably rambles, but I heard him mention her allergy, that's when the idea was fully born. I felt the same way about Sheldon, it's me or death, and my heart couldn't bear to murder Sheldon, so I chose the target of his affection."

It took everything in Penny not to lunge at Amy. She wanted to hogtie her so badly, but all she could think about was the one child in her stomach and how she would do anything to protect it. She wouldn't risk its safety just to pummel Amy, she wasn't worth it.

That's what she'd keep telling herself, anyways.

"You're sick, Amy," Bernadette stated, "And just because I couldn't stand what you did to our friend, someone who was once your friend too, I recorded this entire conversation," She stated confidently, "And don't even think about trying to destroy it. All my recordings go straight to Howie's hard drive at home, so there are backups," she was pissed.

"You're going to jail, Amy, where you belong," Raj agreed.

Amy's face never fell, but you could see the fear in her eyes if you looked hard enough.

Penny stood to her feet and walked towards Amy, she looked the brunette in the eyes and saw nothing but sadness and loneliness. It broke her heart at how pathetic and lost the neurobiologist was. She shook her head at the permanent scowl painted on her face and side stepped her, she opened the door to 4A, "Here's a head start."

Amy didn't ask twice about what she meant when she said that, it was obvious. She knew it was pointless to run, the cops would find her, but she was damned if she would let them find her without a fight.

Penny slammed the door closed behind her and locked it with the deadbolt.

* * *

**I know I shouldn't, but I'm about to publish a new Shenny story. I'm trying to get all my Shenny ideas out now, cause I start a new full-time job next month and I won't have time for Fanfiction like I do now. **


	8. VIII

**VIII.**

She heaved deeply as she attempted to get herself off the couch. As time gone on, she was winded by the simplest tasks more and more. Things she could do easily, without batting an eyelash, she could no longer do. Tying her shoes? Out of the question. Walking up the stairs without a break? Forget about it. It was irritating, she heard women talk about pregnancy like it empowered them and gave them a new sense of life, she felt the complete opposite. It was disabling her from doing things she could usually do without a second thought. She couldn't wait to give birth.

She was now seven months, officially.

You would think she's ten months though, she was huge.

After the Amy fiasco it took some time for everything to get back to normal. No one was happy with what happened with Amy and Leonard, everyone was shocked at the betrayal their friends showed. No one thought that the scientists were capable of the act they did. Sure, Leonard didn't carry out any act but he wasn't exactly innocent either. Throughout the entirety of her pregnancy he had been a terrible friend and supporter, all he did was whine and complain about the decision Penny made. Then he went as far as to say he rather Penny _die_ than be with someone else. That was psychotic behaviour.

It took another week, but Sheldon was the first to be informed Amy was caught and now behind bars. She would be receiving five years. He felt like it wasn't enough, but he figured it was better than nothing at all. He told the rest of the group after he informed Penny separately, and they all decided to move on with life –life before Amy was a part of their group. It should be easy enough, she had only been a part of the group for nearly two years. As for Leonard, Sheldon held the biggest grudge against him.

Sheldon couldn't comprehend how someone who claimed so passionately about loving someone, how he could wish death upon said person. Not only did he think Leonard needed a therapist, he also felt like he deserved to be behind bars for conspiring against Penny. But after a lot of compromising on Penny's behalf, they came to the deal: Leonard would move out and take over 4B, while Penny would move into 4A taking over Leonard's room. Leonard wasn't thrilled about the pair sharing an apartment because it only gave them more of a chance to get together, and he hated the thought of them playing house. But he knew he didn't have a choice, if he didn't cooperate Sheldon would go to Gablehauser and who knows what else would happen.

The only one in the group who spoke to him still was Howard, sure the others were civil, but it wasn't the same. Penny told him he was still welcome to come over for dinner and video games, but he felt awkward. After a few weeks of awkward forced conversation, he stopped. Maybe he needed to just stay away and give them all a chance to forgive him. Yes, he loved Penny and he hated that Sheldon stole her from him, but he shouldn't have done what he did.

* * *

"I got the ice cream," Sheldon came in quickly, showing the restless blonde the plastic bag filled with ice cream pints.

She eyed the bag hungrily, "Chocolate please," she moved her hands in a grabbing motion, and Sheldon refrained from telling her it would be a lot more practical to eat from a bowl. Instead he handed her a spoon and the small pint. He might as well been invisible, because once she got the ice cream he was completely ignored.

She did look up at him and sheepishly mumble out a thank you.

He nodded, satisfied.

He had no idea what movie she had been watching, but it had to be Pixar because he couldn't stomach it. He tuned the offending show out of his mind and thought about the last few months of his life. Walking into Penny's apartment seven months ago, he thought he was doing something that was smart. He was making sure he had children to carry on his legacy. He and Amy had talked it through at length for months, it seemed practical. They were both smart, no she wasn't as smart as he was but she was up there too. Two scientists with high IQs getting together and having a child? He couldn't find the problem. He didn't feel romantically towards Amy, but he did respect her as a person. That seemed to be enough for him. If anything, he learned from all the relationships he been around that love had nothing to do with it. So, this shouldn't be a problem. But then it was, Amy was infertile.

It was devastating at first. He didn't know how Amy felt, but he knew how he felt, he would never have children. His legacy started and ended with him. He found that to be a great loss for the world, and for himself if he thought about it hard enough. This was completely unacceptable. He was relieved when Amy came to him with a suitable solution, a surrogate. They could still be parents, and it still would be _his_ DNA, so it would be his kid. He found that acceptable. But then he pointed out he wouldn't be capable of having coitus with another woman, that would be breaking the contract they signed. He hadn't remembered insemination until Amy mentioned it. That's when they sat down and thought about a list of women who would be suitable mothers.

There was always an issue with a woman Amy picked. He was never satisfied with her choices, it seemed like she wasn't putting any thought into this.

Truthfully, he had only one woman in mind, but he knew it would be a long shot for her to ever agree. This was a life changing decision, and he wouldn't be surprised if he got throat punched. No other woman sounded suitable to carry his child, he didn't want anyone else's DNA to be mixed with his. He just wanted a certain blonde-haired green-eyed woman.

He told Amy this, and she expressed discomfort. Her first argument was that she wouldn't do it, her life was too unpredictable and carefree, carrying a child would hinder her social life completely and that's the last thing she wanted to happen to her. Besides, she was still fairly young, why would she want to be a surrogate? Sheldon rolled his eyes and pointed out he knew Penny a lot better than Amy did, and not only was she Amy's best friend, but she was also his (And for longer). Amy felt like it wouldn't work, so she was confident when she stood to her feet and walked across the hall with Sheldon to ask her Bestie to carry their child. Sheldon was pleasantly surprised when Penny agreed. He knew it was a big thing for her, so he gave in when she said no contract, he trusted her to do what was best for the child.

Then it happened, and she was actually pregnant with their child and he never thought about it that way until Leonard pointed it out to Amy and it made him feel weird and he wasn't sure if he liked it or disliked it. He spent many nights thinking about it, Penny wasn't carrying his and Amy's child, she was carrying his and _her_ child. That was their baby. Then Amy started to get weird and clingy, date night wasn't enough, holding hands wasn't enough, skyping wasn't enough. He didn't like this side of Amy. He should've seen the warning signs.

As Penny would say, everything went to hell in a hand basket. Next thing he knew he was praying at Penny's bedside to whoever would listen, _please let her wake up, please let the babies be ok_. She did wake up, but only one baby was ok. He hated what Amy had done to them. He was glad Penny never signed the contract, because he could never be ok with her signing over her parental rights to Amy.

Yes, it wasn't what they planned. And honestly, they hadn't even discussed what would happen with the child. Would they co-parent? Would they get together? They were kind of playing it by ear, and it wasn't the smartest thing to do because in two months a baby would be here, and they needed to figure something out and fast.

What did he want? Well, that was simple, he wanted Penny. He wasn't sure when it happened, but it did. He wanted all of her. They already slept in the same bed together, and he refused to let her out of his sight because he was afraid of something bad happening to her when he wasn't looking. He couldn't save her against Amy, he didn't want anything else to happen that he could've prevented. His feelings for her had intensified, and he would be lying if he said they only just started. He knew they were there since the first day he seen her moving into 4B, but he repressed them so deeply he could live a normal life (well, normal for him anyways). But they were back, and he didn't know when it reared its ugly head, but he was willing to lay it all out for her.

He looked at the mother of his future child, she had ice cream on her lips, and she was grinning broadly at the TV, chuckling. He felt his stomach knot, and his heart swell, how could this be a life he passed up on? This was it for him. This was the family he wanted.

"Penny…"

She looked up at him, big innocent eyes staring into his own, and it broke him knowing he was really the only person left in her life that she trusted wholly. He cupped the side of her face, "You have some ice cream on your lips," his voice was low.

She grinned softly, "Sorry, do you have a napkin?"

He shook his head slowly, "I…" he hesitated, but he moved in and kissed her, his tongue tentatively sweeping out and licking the ice cream off her lips. He felt the shock go through her, and the hesitance, and he couldn't blame her. If this relationship blew up in their face, it probably would never be the same again. But he refused for that to happen. He wanted her, and he wanted her bad.

He relaxed when he felt her lips moving against his own, experimentally. Then her arms wounded themselves around his neck and the kiss deepened. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and cradled her the best he could with her large stomach.

She broke away from the kiss and pressed their foreheads together neither spoke, afraid to break whatever moment was between them. But she had so many questions, why now? What was happening? He seemed to have sensed her curiosity and he pulled away from her completely, taking her hands in his own. He held them for a moment, trying to find the right words because that's what she deserved.

"Penny…" he trailed off, "I love you."

He heard her breathing hitch, "You do?"

He nodded, "So much. And I've known for some time quite honestly, but it's just now coming to me…there's a reason why I didn't want anyone else carrying my child. It was always you, no one else would do. It's always been you, even when you were with Leonard, even when I was with Amy…it would've always been you."

She felt the tears in her eyes, and she cursed her hormones.

"Are you sure? What if it's just because I'm carrying your baby?"

He hated how soft her voice sounded, she was such a powerful woman, she needed to sound it too.

"Absolutely not. I've been attracted to you since I saw you moving into 4B. I just had to repress those feelings because you were enthralled by Leonard and he had taken an interest in you."

She frowned deeply, "It was always you, Sheldon, I complimented your whiteboard first. I was into you, you were so tall and innocent, so smart…but you denied me, shut me down right away. I figured you weren't interested."

It peeved her slightly knowing all this time both of them were attracted to the other, and it took them almost a decade to figure it out.

He sighed, "Well we have now, and I'm willing to put in all the work I have to, to prove to you that this is it for me. I don't want anything else."

She looked at him slightly unsure, "You know I need physicality, Sheldon?"

He knew she was talking about coitus, and he didn't flinch, "The thought of having coitus—" he stopped when he saw her facial expression, "Sex, with you is not unpleasant. If anything, I'm quite eager to learn how much of a big ole' five you are," he smirked when he saw the shock on her face.

"You know the OBGYN told me that sex is actually good for pregnancy?"

He hid a smile, "Well, I think I read something like that too."

The Pixar movie continued playing in the background as they went to his bedroom eagerly. They never did get to see the end of Toy Story 3.

* * *

**One or two more chapters left! **


	9. IX

**IX. –**_**Epilogue.**_

"I'm telling you, Penny, this is it," His voice was frantic, and he tried so hard to keep it together, but his eyes were giving him away.

She shook her head as she breathed in deeply, "No," she exhaled, "It's too early. This isn't it," she was determined to keep the baby in for as long as she could. It was too early for the baby to be born, and she wouldn't let anything happen to it.

He had to fold his hands together, to stop from pulling his hair out, "Your contractions are ten minutes apart, the books say five to seven, this is it Penny! The baby is full-term, it's only two weeks early and that's perfectly normal," he tried his best to reassure her. He held her arm, "Come, I'll drive us to the hospital now."

She growled at him, ripping her arms out of his hold, "No! I said no! We aren't going anywhere. It's not ready! This is not it!"

He stepped back exasperated. He had no idea why she was refusing to go to the hospital, and thankfully reinforcements came in when there was a knock on the door and in walked their mutual friend, Bernadette. She smiled apologetically at him, she knew the stress he was going through, she was currently pregnant now too. Three months. Howard had been hovering over her ever since, one night she felt a sharp pain and he immediately sprang into action alerting everyone she was in labour. She had to grab his hand and remind him she was only two months pregnant at the time.

"Go to the store and get her ice cream, or take a ride around town, maybe it will settle both of your nerves," Bernadette suggested.

He sighed deeply and looked back at his girlfriend who sat on the couch doing breathing exercises. He knew this was it, their child was going to be born _today_. She looked at him and immediately glared at him, he didn't feel bad about it, he knew she was going through a lot right now and lately her mood swings were ridiculous. One minute she loved him, the next she wanted to knock his head off his shoulders for absolutely no reason. One night last week he woke up to her hitting him with a pillow, turns out he moved the arm she was using as a pillow and that didn't work for her.

He looked back at Bernadette, "You call me immediately when her contractions hit seven minutes."

Bernadette nodded.

* * *

"Penny…" Bernadette caressed her friends' hair softly. She was tiny, so her stomach was a lot more prominent than most women at this stage, so it was awkward with Penny's head in her lap, and her large stomach protruding, but the women made it work. She felt Penny tense as a contraction passed through her, she just sighed and held her friend as comfortingly as she could.

The crying blonde sniffled and sat up straight once the pain passed, "I'm scared Bernie."

They spent the last thirty minutes watching mindless television, avoiding the topic of Penny's emotions, but she couldn't hold it anymore. She wiped at her red and swollen eyes, "What if I'm not good enough? What if I'm not a good mother? This wasn't my plan…" she buried her face into her hands.

Bernadette just rubbed her friends back, "Oh Penny, you'll do great. You had all this time to work it out, and I noticed when you moved in here with Sheldon, when you were only four months, you and he got super serious about all of this. You're going to do great. You have all of our help, and when my baby is born, we'll be in this together," she reassured her friend.

Penny just frowned, "This wasn't the plan though, Bernie. I was never meant to be a mother right now, if it wasn't for Sheldon and for…Amy, then this baby wouldn't even be inside of me. Sheldon and I wouldn't be dating because we wouldn't have been forced to confront our feelings. What if none of this was meant to happen?" She cried.

The shorter blonde shook her head furiously, "Don't say that. You know it's not true. You and Sheldon always had something special between the two of you, you know Amy once told Leonard that she was jealous of your relationship with Sheldon? That it got her mad he was so much more comfortable with you than her?"

She felt bad thinking about it, but she couldn't help but feel slightly better at that.

"But the baby…I'm so dysfunctional."

"Not in my eyes. You stopped partying, stopped drinking for this baby. You're so smart, Penny, you can absolutely do this, I don't know why you're so scared," she said softly.

About to reply Penny seized up again, another contraction passing through her. Sheldon came walking through the door, immediately dropping the shopping bag once he saw Penny's face, he quickly kneeled in front of her looking at Bernadette, "How long has it been?"

Bernadette stumbled over her words as she registered the intensity of Sheldon's voice.

"How long Bernadette?!" His voice raised.

"Uh," she looked at the stop watch on the table, "Uh…two…two minutes," she winced at the loud exclaim coming from Sheldon's mouth.

"Two minutes?! I told you to call me at seven!" He ran a hand through his hair and immediately ran to get the hospital bag he packed a month ago.

Bernadette stood and went to the door, "Let's go, I'll drive you guys!"

Sheldon rolled his eyes and sighed, "That's the least you can do," he grumbled as he helped Penny up.

"Let's go, Kitten, it's time to have the baby."

Penny felt the tears welling up in her eyes as they helped her down the stairs, "I'm not…I can't…"

Sheldon shook his head, "You can, and you will."

"I can't…" she cried.

"Penny don't be afraid. The pain is minimal, and if you get the epidural, you'll barely feel anything. You'll be ok," he reassured her as he got into the backseat of Bernadette's car, alongside Penny.

Penny looked at Sheldon, "But what if you don't want me?"

Sheldon was shocked at what she said, but before he could speak Penny was going through another contraction and the pain knocked her unconscious.

* * *

When Penny woke up, she was in a hospital gown, and hooked up to multiple machines. She recognized the room she was in; it was in the labour and delivery wing of the hospital. She frowned when she noticed all her friends standing in her room.

"Hey, sleepy-head," Howard teased.

Penny smiled slightly, "Hey guys," her voice cracked, "Did I give birth already?"

Raj chuckled, "No. They need you awake for that. You've only been out for about twenty minutes, Bernadette and Sheldon had you changed, and we just got in here and you woke up. The doctors say you'll be ready to push in five minutes or so," he informed his friend.

Penny felt her nerves flare up again, and her friends noticed quickly.

Howard stepped forward, "Penny," he took Penny's hand hesitantly, "If anyone from here would know, I would, you are so damn strong," he chuckled, "You can do this. I don't know any other female who could kick ass like you can, this will be a breeze for you. You can hogtie a grown man in under thirty seconds, child birth will be a walk in the park."

Penny smiled at him teary-eyed, "Thank you, Howard," she choked.

"We all agree with him," Bernadette added sweetly.

She sighed deeply, "Thanks guys, do you mind if I just speak to Sheldon for a minute before the doctors come in?"

They all nodded and exited her room.

The couple looked at each other, Sheldon with a question on his mind while Penny avoided his eyes.

"So, what did you mean when you said, 'What if you don't want me anymore?'?"

She finally looked at him, and saw he had moved to her bedside, hands in his pockets. She glanced away from him, feeling a lot more vulnerable than she was comfortable with, "I just…our relationship wasn't really traditional you know? It started out of…convenience if anything. I'm pregnant with your child, what if I was giving off these pheromones or something and that's why you were attracted to me this entire time? What if after I give birth you don't want me anymore?" She cried.

He frowned deeply, "Penny," he grabbed her hands, "I told you, I wanted you the moment I first laid eyes on you. That won't change if you're not pregnant anymore. You're my everything, that will never change. After you give me my first child, my feelings for you would be intensified if anything."

Penny looked into his eyes, all her emotions laid bare for him to see, "You'll still love me?"

"With everything I own."

She felt more tears fall from her eyes and she wiped at them, "I'm so pathetic," she chuckled, "How am I supposed to set an example for our daughter to be a strong independent woman if her father makes me cry of happiness with everything he says?"

There was silence.

"Sheldon?"

She looked at him and saw his face frozen, "Sheldon?"

"Daughter…"

She gasped, "Oh my goodness, I'm sorry," she frowned, "I know you wanted it to be a surprise, but I couldn't handle it. I asked the doctor to tell me two months ago, I'm sorry, are you mad?" She touched his arm.

He only smiled at her, "A daughter…We're going to have a daughter."

She smiled back, "Yes. We're going to have a daughter."

* * *

Sheldon was right. An hour later, a baby was born. _Their _baby. _Their daughter_.

Melody Selena Cooper.

Penny was right too.

Parenting was hard. There were accidents of spilled food, and dirty diapers, and sometimes they had to play rock paper scissors to see who would get up at three in the morning. But they loved it all. They learned, and they taught each other, and they made it work.

Penny's biggest fear was a distant thought, because Sheldon showed her every day and every night how much she still meant to him. A flower here, a back massage there, dinner here, and sex there. Sheldon's biggest fear was null and void because when he produced a marriage contract for Penny to sign, she had thrown it at his head and a one-year old Melody giggled and clapped as her daddy ducked the bundle of papers.

Melody was the perfect balance between them both. A head filled with thick brown curly hair, and the largest most vibrant green eyes Sheldon had ever seen, the only person that beat her was her mother.

She was extremely smart, but also an extreme social butterfly. Both sets of grandparents loved her. Penny's parents flew in from Nebraska to see her and they loved her instantly. Soon followed by Mary and MeeMaw, MeeMaw loved her instantly while Mary was upset that the baby was born out of wedlock but after Sheldon stood up for his new family, Mary had given in and fallen in love with little Melody as well. She was also the star of her parent's garden wedding.

Skipping down the aisle, bare foot (because nobody put Melody in shoes and got away with it), throwing flower petals haphazardly until she reached her mommy and daddy and reached up to be picked up. Sheldon always complied, picking her up whenever she asked. She was a spoiled three-year-old.

And as she watched her parents promise themselves to each other forever, she smiled broadly and clapped her hands. She reached down and touched her mother's round belly, "Family."

Her parents kissed and she made a face.

The crowd laughed.


End file.
